View Full Version : First Year Splits and Raising queens Are a Success
JordanM
08-07-2009, 07:07 PM
I made 2 one frame splits from one of my hives and had great success. I checked the hives today and found there to be queens in both of these hives laying good worker brood.
Can you find the queeen?:
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/5329/queeng.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/i/queeng.jpg/)
tbb39
08-10-2009, 02:16 PM
i never tried that. and did i read you right? you only used one frame?
JordanM
08-12-2009, 01:23 PM
Yup only one frame of uncapped brood.
Batman
08-12-2009, 03:12 PM
How long ago did you do that?
tbb39
08-12-2009, 03:15 PM
yes I would like to know to, and did you add any more nursing bees? and how many queen cell did you get
JordanM
08-16-2009, 04:35 PM
I added the frame a little over a month ago and checked for queens the day i posted pictures. I didnt add any more nurse bees only what was on the frame. And i think there was proboly around 6 queen cells.
djhiban12
08-20-2009, 09:42 PM
you have good luck my friend. did you start them in a nuc or did you just put them in a ten frame hive? also how many frames do they have drawn out and did you feed them and if you did what was it? was it what superman eats?
justgojumpit
08-21-2009, 10:58 AM
the big question is will they be strong enough to make it through the winter? You can start a new hive in a mating nuc but that does not mean that it will have the critical mass to efficiently develop into a thriving hive. I prefer at least three frames for a nuc. To maximize efficiency with minimal technology, I have had success using the hopkins method of queen rearing and then giving queen cells to splits with three frames of brood and two empty frames for the bees to expand into.
justgojumpit
JordanM
08-21-2009, 11:07 AM
Yes, thats the only thing im worried about is getting them through winter. Right now there at 5 frames and the honey flow is still on so i hope they keep building up a while longer. i started them in a queen castle which is a box with 4 2 frame nucs in it. All i fed them was one quart of sugar water and then they would not take it any more they started collecting there own honey.
chillardbee
09-04-2009, 10:09 AM
I would be feeding them hard for as long I could, there gonna need it.
JordanM
09-04-2009, 11:54 AM
Ya and then i am going to overwinter them ontop my other hives i think