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From:
Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Thu, 2 Jan 1997 11:12:52 -0600
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> > The packages did very well last year, and seemed very strong
> going into winter.
 
<snip>
 
> > My question is this.  I plan to split both of my hives this year
> > to head of swarming and to increase my number of hives from two to
> > four.  I know this is a VERY regional thing with times varying
> > widely based on climate, but I would appreciate some tips from you
> > on how to proceed, what to look for, and any horrifying/great
> > success stories you may have.
 
<snip>
 
> Splitting your honeybee population will achieve pricesely that,
> reduced honey production by a big factor! You have to decide on
> what you want to have more hives or more honey! It might be wiser
> for you to buy package honeybees ...
 
While there is *some* truth to the above, "T'ain't *necessarily* so"!
 
(And BTW, Pedro (and others), I'd sure appreciate it if you would
cut down on the length of your unnecessary quotes.  Adam & I've been
trying to archive the logs of this discussion group; these huge
blocks of quotes make the logs gratuitously huge and make it hard
to read through the archives for info.  Since this is a mailing
list, you can be sure that almost everyone has read the original
post). Thanks.
 
Anyways...  It depends *entirely* when your main flows are likely to
ocur and how long your buildup period is.
 
How well your packages did, compared to overwintered hives locally,
is a strong hint as to whether splitting will work profitably for
you.  If they did about comparably, then splitting will increase
your yield. Otherwise, be careful about splitting too drastically
(two hives from one or three from one).  In such a case, use the
conservative, idiot proof method below.
 
Many good beekeepers split to *increase* yield.  It requires some
knowledge of the locale and much knowledge of bees.
 
You do, of course want to manage for maximum populations at flow
times, but as you mentioned, it can be hard to keep large hives from
swarming if a flow does not develop as expected. There is also the
problem of hives that have 'peaked'.  If they reach full size too
early and they do not swarm, they may become 'lazy' and even dwindle
after the peak.
 
It is important to make sure you do not split too drastically, and
for a bee-ginner, a good method is to just take one or *maybe* two
frames of brood and bees each from several two storey hives with 6 or
8 frames of brood and make up a new single with them, adding a queen
or ripe cell. Replace the missing frames in the parent hives with
good brood combs.
 
Take combs with a variety of ages of brood, but emphasize sealed
brood.  Don't take frames that are full to the ends with  brood, but
rather those with nice big *circles* of brood so that the new,
smaller cluster will cover it nicely. Hopefully you will have a nice
arch of nectar and pollen above the brood, and some full frames of
honey to fill the rest of the box.
 
About five or six such brood frames should make a producing colony if
done early enough (six weeks, minimum, before the flow). Shake a few
frames of *extra* bees into the nuc and screen it up for three days
in the shade if you cannot move it away.  Then set it on its stand,
open it up and reduce the entrance.
 
If you are not good at finding queens, don't worry if you can't find
one of them.  After three days, it should be obvious which hives
have queens by the new eggs.  Add a queen or cell to any that need
them.
 
If this is done well ahead of the main flows, it may both increase
your total yield, and provide an extra hive to replace another that will
doubtlessly dwindle at some point.  You can do this again and again
several weeks apart, if required.  It does not seem to weaken the
parent hives much if at all.  I find it stimulates them.
 
There are also benefits in terms of TM control, and this is a good
way to introduce new queens into hives that may later be combined
back.
 
If it turns out that your splits are not as strong as you like at
flow time, just place an excluder on the second brood box of a hive
and lift the two brood boxes of the neighbouring split on top, add
another excluder, super, and *presto!* you have a two queen colony!
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>

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