i'm about to make my first queenless split. my plan is to wait till this evening when the foragers start returning then make the split and move the nuc to another yard where i can keep a better eye on things.
also should i feed this nuc? or wait till the new queen emerges and then feed?
first time just want to get it right. any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks
If the nectar flow is on big time, they will not take much feed. But if most of the bees are young in the split, they will not have many foragers and they will need the feed. I always feed mine just in case. It can never hurt and the bees need all the help they can get today.
When I did my split last year, I moved them immediately into the hive nextdoor. No problems being that close. For feed, I moved 2 bars of honey and pollen along with the brood and eggs. Worked great. Good luck!
It will work better if you move the hive and leave the nuc in the old location... then the foragers will be returning to the nuc and you should not have to worry about feeding.