When to add a honey super and make a split?

[bwallace23350]

My one surviving hive is going strong although I could not see any pollen they were collecting today. Perhaps we are a touch early for the maple trees still. But my question is when is a time to put a honey super on a healthy hive that over wintered well and when to make a split off that hive

[gww]

B
How come you don't have your location on your profile?  These questions would be easier to answer with location.  I probly should remember but don't.  It must be warmer then where I am though cause splits are a couple months off for me.
Cheers
gww

[bwallace23350]

Around Montgomery Alabama

[Acebird]

People here wait until drone production by I am not sure that works for you.  When do you get your first good flow?  I tend to split early, a week to three weeks before the flow so the hive doesn't prepare for a swarm but only if the hive has a good surplus of honey.  If you wait until you get into the flow it might end before the hive has a chance to grow.  Then you would be better off installing a queen and feeding.  So what you do depends on what you do or how you do it and the duration of forage.
Terminology: I put on boxes but I don't call them supers because my intent is to expand the brood nest not collect honey.

[sc-bee]

Do you have any drawn comb? How strong is the hive?

[bwallace23350]

The hive I would guess is strong. Last year was my first year beekeeping. I lost one of my two hives and would like to split the one that lived to get back to my two hives. This year is really odd as we have not had much of a winter and somethings are blooming earlier than usual. Yes it has two boxes of drawn comb already. Typically we have about a month long solid spring wildflower bloom if not a touch longer. GSF might be better on answering how long are flow is.

[Acebird]

This year is really odd as we have not had much of a winter and somethings are blooming earlier than usual.

This is when you think everything is wonderful on a human perspective and it all turns to bleep for the bees.  It might not happen but what you want to train your mind into thinking is if I want 2 you should go for 3.  You can be a hero for giving that third one away if you are so lucky. Never worry about having too many bees.  I worried about that once.  How foolish.

[Hops Brewster]

This year is really odd as we have not had much of a winter and somethings are blooming earlier than usual.

Never worry about having too many bees.

Yes, I like that phrase.  I'll have to remember that one.

[bwallace23350]

I might need more boxes now

[GSF]

Don't worry about swarming until you start seeing drone brood. Too early and the new queen won't get mated good, too late and you'll be missing a bunch of bees. At my place I have a pretty long flow, spring flowers, a splash of buckwheat, cotton, then the fall flow.

[sc-bee]

Yes it has two boxes of drawn comb already.

If you have empty drawn comb look at the thread on Walt Wrights checkerboarding. You do the manipulation 8 weeks before white wax so you should be spot on about now or in a week. Early is ok just not late... and season here seems to be ahead of normal schedule. Remember you do not move brood frames with WW's CBing... PERIOD...NOTTA
If you have a box of empty drawn comb and a super or half a super of honey (even two full supers) you are set up well to give it a spin and you will not regret it, if you follow it as written. Short cuts and you trying to out think or ad lib the system and you will not get the predicted results...It is not hard to do yu just have to follow the requirements, which aren't many...

[Acebird]

I might need more boxes now

LOL you always need more boxes and frames. :-)