..........used to make a split.
Hi,
I would say four frames of eggs, works well for us. This eggs that are less than three days old (ie. Not curled)
Here is how we do a split:- How to split a Beehive (http://kiwimana.co.nz/how-to-split-a-beehive/)
This method works well for us, but we must look at doing queen rearing next season.
I've had good luck with four frames of brood if the frames are really covered in bees. If not, or even if they are shake in a few bees from a couple other open brood frames is a good idea.
Five frames is better, six is better yet.
However I've built several successful queens with 4 frames of bees.
Woody Roberts
what if you're making a nuc?
I was talking about a nuc. In five frame nucs I use five as a general rule. Six frame I use six. My best queen who will be four this fall was raised in a six frame nuc. It was so full of bees I could barely get it closed.
I usually use two and shake in one or two more frames of nurse bees with them. either with 2-3 queen cells between the two frames, or I'll notch early larva and they will make their own, or they will make emergency cells. I leave the original queen where she is, and then go back and do it again and again. you can easily split a semi decent hive into 4 others. After I use the queen, I'll replace her usually.
If you give them a queen two deep frames or three mediums of brood and some extra bees will work. If they have to make a queen you need alot more like wolfer said.
This was my first year but I made 4 successfully using 1 frame of open brood, 1 frame of capped, both with nurses, a frame of honey and pollen and 2 emptys in a 5 frame deep nuc box. Of course it was earlier in the year if that makes a difference. 2 had swarm cells, and 2 made their own. G :chop:
Two frames of brood one frame of honey and a queen cell. Makes up a nice split in the spring time. Summer or Fall splits where robbing is more of a problem need to be a little bit bigger.
I read some where that two good frames of brood will make about 3 pounds of bees. So that will kind of give you an idea of how many bees will end up in the nuc. Now a two frame split will need to be moved to a new yard or extra bee will have to be shaken in to make up for drift.
If you just want a nuc, you do not want to use 5 or 6 frames of brood in a nuc. Once the queen is laying, you will have to move it into a full hive or split it before they start thinking about swarming.
Jim
I ended up using 2 frames of brood & shook some extra bees into the nuc & moved them to another yard & introduced caged queens. the remaining frames were nectar, honey, & pollen. i'll be checking in a few days to see if the queens are out.
Rober,
Are you planning on keeping this hive as a nuc through the winter?
Keep a close eye on it. Even 2 frames can grow very quickly with the right queen.
Jim
Two frames will grow just fine. Truth is any frames of brood you put in them now will be dead before winter anyways, so the only live bees you will be dealing with is whatever the queen lays. period. End of story. So you are only really providing enough nurse bees to get the initial laying segment before more nurse bees mature to replace them into the hive. and have enough field bees to collect enough pollen and nectar for the initial start. two frames is plenty. of course I am talking deep frames of brood here. but it'll still be fine with mediums. For giggles go ahead and replace one of the empty frames when it hatches with a new frame of capped from the other hive if you wish. once more totally not necessary, but it may make you feel better, and it all depends how deep into the rabbit hole you want to go, how much you want to expand and how much honey you are trying to collect from this years harvest.
One way to make a split that I have heard tell of is to use no brood at all! Do an artificial swarm and remove the 'old' queen and shake a few frames of bees into the nuc with her, then move the whole lot out of the flight range of the original hive. They will think they have swarmed - without the bother of flying away - and will go into build up mode. You should give them some drawn frames to help them out but NO brood! The original hive will feed a new queen from the eggs left from the old queen or you can give them a new queen.
This way you also satisfy their need to swarm without loosing any bees.
Anyway do it the way that suits you best and enjoy your bees!! :-D :-D
the plan is to end up with 2 more hives. if they build up slow i'll over-winter nucs. if they build up heavy i'll move them into hives.
My mating nucs are one medium depth frame of brood and one medium depth frame of honey. They often build up, but it takes a while. Better, if you're making increase, to use eight medium frames of brood and eight medium frames of honey...