My colony (installed in late March) seems to be doing well -- at last inspection, 8 days ago, brood box about 70% worked, and the medium above it, "sorta" being worked by the bees. The population seems to be booming now, and the brood pattern then was the best I think I've ever seen (from videos and demos). I removed the frame feeder at that time, too. Nectar flow is major now.
If everything looks good-and-drawn when I inspect Wed., should/could I consider a split? My new mentor suggests it. Per her: take 5 of the 10 frames from wall-adjacent of the brood box (or medium, if it has eggs/uncapped honey/nurse bees/etc), with or w/o the queen, place the frames into the middle of a "fresh" deep (or medium), add a frame feeder -- which I could only do in a deep, with the feeders I own -- and let The Girls have at it.
Is that sensible, or has my pitiful memory made it oversimplified? I don't want to risk making my strong hive too weak or new hive too vulnerable. Nights are getting to ~50 F lately, so I'm sure the bees aren't crazy about that.
For what it's worth: I don't necessarily care about honey harvest this year; I'm focused mostly on having a strong hive or 2 going into the winter.
Thx for suggestions/ponderings/info. The more the better at this stage. I'm really kinda baffled at how to go with this. Too many options, and I need all the "forewarned is forearmed" data I can get. "Have a plan", my mentor tells me. OK ...... that could mean having lots of sugar syrup concocted (and if not needed, would have to be kept), a deep and medium, with frames, at the ready, etc. ....... Anything else? :s :s :s
Mitch
If everything looks good-and-drawn when I inspect Wed., should/could I consider a split? My new mentor suggests it. Per her: take 5 of the 10 frames from wall-adjacent of the brood box (or medium, if it has eggs/uncapped honey/nurse bees/etc), with or w/o the queen, place the frames into the middle of a "fresh" deep (or medium), add a frame feeder -- which I could only do in a deep, with the feeders I own -- and let The Girls have at it.
Is that sensible, or has my pitiful memory made it oversimplified? I don't want to risk making my strong hive too weak or new hive too vulnerable. Nights are getting to ~50 F lately, so I'm sure the bees aren't crazy about that.
For what it's worth: I don't necessarily care about honey harvest this year; I'm focused mostly on having a strong hive or 2 going into the winter.
Thx for suggestions/ponderings/info. The more the better at this stage. I'm really kinda baffled at how to go with this. Too many options, and I need all the "forewarned is forearmed" data I can get. "Have a plan", my mentor tells me. OK ...... that could mean having lots of sugar syrup concocted (and if not needed, would have to be kept), a deep and medium, with frames, at the ready, etc. ....... Anything else? :s :s :s
Mitch