How to split a hive?

[Thunder9]

Was wondering if I could get detailed info on making a split. When, ect. Thanks in advance.

[mac]

do a serch. Lots of info already posted.

[fhlowrimore]

do this search,
Utube honey bee hive splits
Hope this will help,Henry

[KQ6AR]

timing, it depends on you're climate. Ask some beekeepers in you're area.

Are the bees raising drones?
Is there good nectar, & pollen coming in?
If you're temps are warm, bees are raising brood, & you're buying a mated queen, the first 2 aren't that critical.

[Pife]

Larry Conner has an outstanding book on splits called "Increasing Essentials". Buy and read the book, then reread then reread again. The book is that good and there is so much info in it that there are sections that deserve multiple readings.

I did walk away splits this summer but won't do that again. Even though it was extremely successful, it took too much time. This summer I am going to learn how to graft queen cells and raise my own queens. I have nine colonies now and want 20 by the end of next year.

Pife

Good luck, you are now entering the more involved part of beekeeping.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

If it is over 50 degrees, you can make splits. If they are bringing in nectar and pollen let them grow. If there is not much coming in, feed them. In Florida, basically you can make splits any time you can get queens. If you cannot introduce a mated queen, it will be two weeks from egg to emerge, another two weeks to mate, and three more weeks before her first brood emerge. Seven weeks is a long time if there is any stress like heat, wax moths, small hive beetles, cold weather, or dearth of food.

[Ruben]

Timing is the key to not hurting honey yield. I have found that If I split around the 1st week of April here I do well with splits. I do it the less scientific way by moving 5 of the 10 frames to a new hive body and take one of them to a different yard. If I am lucky I find the queen and that is the one I take away so that the one that is queenless will keep all of the field bees. You can buy a queen or let them raise one so long as they have fresh eggs.

[Michael Bush]

Splits are more about concepts than actual details. I've tried to cover the concepts.

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

[Cordovan Italian Bee]

http://www.schoolnet.net.sb/courses/...it_a_hive.html

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

http://www.beeworks.com/informationc...cs_splits.html

http://saulcreekapiary.com/Hive%20Split.htm

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/spring/splits.htm