Double screen board split

Started by billdean, April 15, 2017, 09:52:28 PM

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billdean

All my equipment is 8 frame mediums. I have been pondering just exactly how I want to split 2 of my booming over wintered hives. I know I would like to maximize the amount of honey for this year. I have been seriously thinking of splitting my hives using a double screen board. The problem I see is finding the queen is 40 or 50,000 bees. Seeing I use 8 frame medium boxes could I not just put the double screen board in the middle of the boxes or just split the hive in half? 2 mediums above the double screen board and 2 below it. This seems a lot easier and less disruptive to the hive. Does it really matter where the queen is in 8 frame medium boxes on a double screen split? In 4 or 5 days it should be obvious which hive has the queen. Is there something I am missing here?

cao

I don't have any experience with using a double screen board.  So, I can't help you there. 

The easiest way to split would be just to split it in half(aka a 'walk away' split).  You don't have to find the queen as long as you make sure that there are eggs in each half. 

A split can be any size you want as long as there are either the queen or eggs and enough bees to raise a queen in each part of the split.  If you have 4 boxes of bees you could split boxes  2+2, 3+1, 2+1+1, or 1+1+1+1.  The ones without queen will make one. 

How you split is determined by what you want to accomplish.  Split alot to increase number of hives or just split a little to prevent swarming and produce honey. 


Barhopper

I also don't know about double screen splitting but in my opinion a walk away will not help with honey production.

billdean

I would like to maximize my honey production for sure. That why I have been considering the double screen board or Snelgrove board. I have been reading up about it, but I have not fully understood it yet.