Wade said . . . Currently, I do no splits. Instead, I let those hives that have excess population swarm naturally. I then collect the swarms as the sole means of hive increase. . . . The downside is the intense labor needed to collect and hive up the swarms especially in mid May. " A second serious consideration here is the ability to get the swarms if bees are not close to your work - unless of course, you are retired! This is the way that my neighbor does his bees, but encourages me not to do so until I have the ability to be at home more of the time. He enjoys retirement - and catching swarms is a welcomed change of pace to his relaxed lifestyle - though this spring he complained that they were going to work him to death. Tim Rich Western North Carolina, USA