> The only difference betw. your method and ours is that we simply
> shake the top brood chamber into the bottom one. we then put the
> excluder on the bottom chamber, then the top chamber on the
> excluder.   We then proceed like you would. You can either run them
> as singles or put seconds on them later.   We made 600 splits this
> way last year and we were pleased with the results.
 
Hmmm.
 
To take it a step further, we just take the top BC away and check
both halves for eggs several days later and add a queen or cell to
the half that lacks it.  We found pulling all the frames out of a
brood chamber too hard on us, not to mention the bees.  Adding a cell
allows us to skip looking for cells, which is otherwise a huge job.
(BTW, what is the official word on the effect of cells in a hive on
queen acceptance.  I find sometimes it doesn't matter, and sometimes
it does).
 
There are several ways to get to where you only check one half:
 
-- One is to label top and bottom '#N Top' and '#N Bottom' before
splitting and keep records of results of queen searches when working
them, so that once one half is found queenright or queenless, you can
immediately deduce the state of the other.  ('N' being and integer in
a series).
 
-- The other method is to do 'side by sides' where you put
two floors tight side by side directly in front of each parent hive,
and empty BC on each, and lift the original two boxes, one onto each.
 Several days later, a quick check will reveal which half has the
queen. This can be done flow or no flow. We have done most
of our splits this latter way for over ten years.  (The balance have
been done by stealing a little brood here and there while equalising
and setting it over an excluder).
 
Judicious, and I do mean judicious, use of smoke and the knowledge
of queen behaviour *can* often arrive at splits that all have queens
in one half or the other and roughly equal numbers of bees.
 
We like to reverse once *at least* a week  before the splitting, if
possible to ensure more even amounts of brood in each half.
Moreover, we carry both light and heavy BCs to use on the bottom and
try to put a heavy on a light and vice versa.
 
We find that bottom supering or more accurately 'brood chambering'
at the time of splitting allows us to add the second immediately
with no negative effects, and often good effect on strong splits
which often have eggs and brood in the bottom within days.
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
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Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>