[Beorn]

I split a hive last week and replaced the old frames with partically drawn frames.
the split hive seems to be doing well. I saw three emergency queen cells and I think they had larvae in each.
The donor hive is still going crazy. There two full deeps and bees on all 20 frames. If I split again would it severely deminish my honey crop?
The dandelions are in full bloom here and the fruit trees are getting going. I'd like to put on a super and see what happens

Incedently, how long before those emergency queen cells get capped?

 

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Go for it.
Kingfisher

 

[Countryboy]

The donor hive is still going crazy. There two full deeps and bees on all 20 frames. If I split again would it severely deminish my honey crop?

Decide if you want honey or more bees. It's difficult to get both.

Are all 20 frames covered with bees, or are there just some bees on every frame?

How many frames have some brood on them? That's the important question. It's going to take almost a month before your walkaway split has a laying queen, and another 3 weeks before you get baby bees from her. How many bees are still going to be alive that came with the original split?

If you are doing walkaway splits and letting them raise their own queen, do not plan on getting any honey from those splits this year. If you want to make honey from those splits, give them a mated queen when you split them.

If you want honey, I wouldn't split that hive. Allow it to get as big as you can without swarming, so it makes you a nice honey crop. After the flow has ended, if you want more bee hives, you can always split and feed the new split so it gets enough stores for winter.

 

[Allen Dick]

We used to get a good crop from both halves of the ones we split without using queens. Using cells or mated queens is a bit faster, but after weeks with no brood, and all that pent-up potential, when the new queen starts the split will quickly overtake the parent half.

Will it be in time, though? As I recall, where you are, the flow is early and your hives might eat you out of house and home by peaking late.

That said, we had a lousy early season last year, but I split twice (9 hives into 35, letting them raise queens) and got 90 lbs off each split at a time of year when we often would be feeding, not extracting.

Ask yourself, "Do I feel Lucky?"

Also ask yourself if you really enjoy extracting as much as you enjoy splitting. I don't have to think too hard to answer that, personally.

BTW, do you have an extractor? If not, the answer becomes clearer.

 

[Michael Bush]

>There two full deeps and bees on all 20 frames. If I split again would it severely deminish my honey crop?

Probably.

>Incedently, how long before those emergency queen cells get capped?

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