Cause I got convinced that one of tha causes for the increase in nosema
incidence was stress in the colonies, I change my ways of doing splits.

I have five colonies stands (caballetes), when I move from one location to
an other (I do pollination and honey) I leave the center one in the stand
and take the other four to the new location.

The one that was left is trashed in up to four nucs, depending on its
strenght. I do not care where the queen is. But if we spot her we left her
in its original box. Most of the forager return to that hive. After a couple
of days we return with our virgin queen and introduce them with amonnum
nitrate as described on a previous post (see note at the bottom). We destroy
all cell cups we see. A month latter if the mated old queen was left in the
center original hive and the forager returned to that hive, ii is quite
strong, ussually with a full super of honey. So then, a month or so after
cell introduction, we take honey out, and again share the population between
the nucs and hves in the standa (equalizing). We then treat for varroa with
amitraz. We try to treat just after the queen has mated and before the first
cell are capped so as to find all the varoas in their foretic stage. Work
load not always allows us to do so.




Note: We place the virgin queen caged on top of the top bar, We sleep the
whole lot, bees in the nuc, plus queen in the cage. We free the sleeping
queen straigh away. They waik up in 5 to 10 miutes. We do not check those
nucs in 15 days at least.

-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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