Makeing splits and nucs

gmcharlie · February 19, 2009, 09:25:48 PM

I am planning on takeing one of my strong hives this spring and splitting it into several 2-3 frame nucs. I realize how to do all this, but am wondering just how far I need to mive the nucs? most I read say that I need to move 2 miles or so, but can I make splits and move them 100 feet or so bu containing them for a day or so?? I want to keep the smaller nucs close to home so I can watch them. If i need to I can move the main hive a cpl miles away before the split, but how long do they need to be in another location before they will re-orint themselves?

Charles

DennisB · February 19, 2009, 09:34:29 PM

Charles,

I did 3 splits last year and set them right next to the mother hives, well about 3 foot away and faced them in a different direction. Since the split mainly used house bees and I fed them a lot for the first 3-4 weeks they did very well with the new queens. They ended up producing some honey as well.
Don't worry about having to move them, just face them a different direction and if need be place a couple of sticks in front of the hive for a couple of days. Watch to see if any of the foragers move back to the other hive, then if need be, shake a few extra bees into the hive.

Good luck.

Dennis

pdmattox · February 19, 2009, 09:37:57 PM

If you are going to break the hive down into multiple nucs I would not wory about moving them either. Place the Nucs right where the old hive was. If some seem to not have as many bees in them as do the others you just swap positions with them in the middle of the day to boost their population. I learned this trick from professor Bray. :brian:

DennisB · February 19, 2009, 09:45:15 PM

Does Professor Bray wear a suit coat and red bow tie when he is teaching?

Dennis

Brian D. Bray · February 19, 2009, 11:31:13 PM

Quote from: DennisB on February 19, 2009, 09:45:15 PM
Does Professor Bray wear a suit coat and red bow tie when he is teaching?

Dennis

No he uses a sword cane and a pistol to keep is students in line. :whip:

I am full of ideas, both experimental and tried and true.

Michael Bush · February 20, 2009, 07:09:40 AM

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

gmcharlie · February 21, 2009, 10:12:32 AM

I read your page Mike, but my plan wes to something a bit different. I am going to try to make 6-8 nucs from one hive. (my hives Aare 2 deeps and real full) I plan to get some queens going and then split the hive pretty much completly leaving only 1-2 frames of brood and a little food in the original ( and that queen) with 12-14 frames of mixed brood and food going to the new nucs.
I plan to do this early so they have all summer to build. I tried a late split last year (july) and found they wold not really draw wax that late. since I don't have any surplus of drawn comb my plan was to do the splitup early.

thoughts??