Swarm from a split hive

[Kimbrell]

Last month I split a hive that was overcrowded.  This past week one of the splits swarmed.  When I checked the hive the bottom hive body was crammed with eggs, pollen, and honey.  But the second hive body is still completely empty.  None of the frames are drawn.  I swapped two full frames of honey and pollen from the lower hive body with two frames of foundation from the upper hive body.  I am hoping this will encourage the bees to move up to the upper hive body.  Did I do the right thing?  The other split hive has the same situation although it has not swarmed.  I did the same thing for this hive.  Why did the hive swarm?  I split it to try to prevent it! :?

[metzelplex]

    I always put a couple of frames of brood in the center of the top box to get the bees to go up into the top box because with only foundation there is no reason for them to go up also make sure the brood in the bottom box is in the center so that when they cluster up to keep warm at night the cluster will be in the center in both the top and the bottom boxes also make sure that you either feed syrup or that there is a honey flow so they can draw out all that foundation also in the bottom box put the foundation in the edges also I think michael bush at his bush farms web site has an article on checker boarding the top super that you might want to read. hope this helps  .  metzelplex

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

Splitting often works to prevent a swarm. Even if it doesn't, it always lessens the impact.  A smaller hive will cast a smaller swarm.  It just seems like sometimes they have already made up their mind and nothing will stop them.

[Kimbrell]

Thanks for the replies.  I checked the link to Mr. Bush's website.  I'll rearrange my new hives that way to encourage them to move up instead of out! :)