When to make a split??

[LocustHoney]

Alright... I have some questions that I would like for you guys to answer. First, I have two hives. I bought them as established colonies. Since I am a rookie I had a man down the road come over and go into the hive with me the first time. He told me my hives were in excellent condition and very strong. One hive was slightly stronger than the other. Only in quantity of bees. The laying pattern was very strong in both hives, etc, etc.... I won't bore you any longer. I think you get the point. Now. Me being a rookie who has fallen in LOVE with the bees, I naturally want to "make" more hives. The nectar flow in my area is on and has been on for a couple of weeks, outside of three days of cold weather. I added a deep to both hives in hopes of them filling it up and splitting them after the flow is over. That should be at the end of next month. Can I do a split then??? Would the hives be strong enough for the winter?? I guess what I am asking is when is it too late to split. What would you suggest about making more potential hives...split the strong, use the strong to build the "weaker" one, nothing, make splits of both, quit asking so many questions and leave them alone??? Thanks for you help.

L&H :-D

[Michael Bush]

If you just want increase and don't care about honey or you just want to prevent swarms then a few weeks before the main flow would be good.  Here that would be about mid May.

If you want increase AND honey and you are taking other steps to prevent swarming (like Nectar Management or keeping the brood nest open) then two weeks before the main flow would be better and taking all the open brood out for the split would leave the parent hive with less brood to care for, freeing up more foragers.  Since that brood probably wouldn't be old enough to help with the harvest you can get more honey.

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

[LocustHoney]

I haven't trained my eye for the eggs yet. Would it be safe to use a small magnifying glass as long as I don't use the sun for light????? You know, shoot a stream of molten lava into the hive. :shock:

[LocustHoney]

Forgot to ask.... what would be the disadvantage of a screened bottom board???

[Understudy]

Forgot to ask.... what would be the disadvantage of a screened bottom board???

If you get cold winters it will be harder for the hive to keep warm. However that can be dealt with by placing a piece of cardboard under the screen.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[LocustHoney]

No more  problems with pests????

[Understudy]

Screened bottom boards actually help prevent problems with pests.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Michael Bush]

>Forgot to ask.... what would be the disadvantage of a screened bottom board???

If you block the drafts in the winter, none.