>How far do you split,  and what do you do with the constant surplus??

We split each strong hive 5 ways, from which we typ get 4 queenright nucs,
of which we typically keep 2 and sell two.  We try to start the season with
twice the colonies that we plan to take to almonds 10 months later.  During
the season, we continually combine nonperforming colonies with others, so
our numbers drop throughout the season.

Your math works.  We typically sell off up to half of our brood combs each
season in nucs.  Our winter losses are low, but we place strong selective
pressure on our colonies during the season.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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