Possible to mutli-task?

[Supertad]

Hello fellow beeks, this site is priceless, just say'n.

Is this do-able?

My drones are taking flight.

Going into my second year with two strong hives. My goal(s)...

1) relocate
2) split

In my newbie brain, here's my plan, set-up a stand directly behind the hive(s) which are side-by-side on permanent stands-don't ask.

Place wood ware on new stand, it will be about 3 feet back and maybe a foot lower, then do an even split while placing the old hive along side the new split hive at the new location. That was a tongue twister.

Then using good advice from MB, after a week or so, switch the boxes to help even the drift.

Eventually when all said and done there will hive (4) split hives, side-by-side and all adjusting to a new entrance location.

Looks like a traffic jam in my brain.

Can you split and relocate at the same time? How long would you or not, wait before splitting the other hive?

Appreciate any and all advice and/or suggestions.

-Ricky

[Michael Bush]

I think it's important to be aware of drift, especially so you understand what is happening and don't misunderstand and think something else is wrong, but I think the significance may be exaggerated. Let's say I just split them with no regard to drift, what do I get? One very strong hive and one hive that is a little behind. But the strong one makes more honey as a result and the weak one maybe makes none. Is that a disaster? The increase in honey on the strong one may well be more than the two would have made if they were even.

[Supertad]

Thanks Michael. Do you feel it will be okay to split and relocate at the same time?

[sqkcrk]

If by relocate you mean take to another yard, then yes. That's how I do my nucs. That's how a lot of people do their nucs and other splits.

[Supertad]

@sqkcrk,

New location..

"it will be about 3 feet back and maybe a foot lower"

Both hives ending up side by side just behind the old location.

[Vance G]

Just switch back and forth to equalize, but as Mr Bush said, it may be loves labor lost.

[Matt NY]

Your hives at 2 years are at their prime (at least that is what I gather from the Walt Wright readings) and yuo may want to consider something other than and even split. Kind of like making a smaller colonie split (nuc size) that should give you some honey and leaving the original colony for alot of honey. As MB warned watch the drift and as I say and he has said, if not the same words maybe, use that drift to your advantage. Play with it and learn, Dolittle gives a great illustrtion about switching the new colony a couple times for various reasons.

You should have no problem with what you described.

Good luck.

[sqkcrk]

@sqkcrk,

New location..

"it will be about 3 feet back and maybe a foot lower"

Both hives ending up side by side just behind the old location.

IC. This has been done by beekeepers w/ stationary yds for ages. Go for it. As a beekeeper w/ large yds and a desire to split or take a nuc from many colonies in the yd I tend to take what has been split from the original colony to another apiary.

On the other hand I have equalized brood in the two deeps, shaken the bees out of the top deep, layed down an excluder and repositioned the top deep.

Then the next day I will come in w/ an equal number of empty pallets and taking the top deep off of the original pallet I will fill a new pallet, placing a caged queen on the bottom board on which the box of brood goes. The original pallet gets moved to another part of the yard or onto the truck and taken away. The new split pallets go where the original pallet was. Works well w/ strong colonies and a decent nectar flow.

[Michael Bush]

>Thanks Michael. Do you feel it will be okay to split and relocate at the same time?

Yes. Just expect the returning bees to do what they do, which is go into the nearest hive they find if theirs isn't their, or return to the old location if there is a hive at the old location.