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It sounds like the cut down split as described by Michael Bush is my best option right now for two booming hives that are backfilling the brood nest. I do have a few questions, since although I've done splits before, I've never done one this radical. So...if you put all or most of the honey into the new hive with the queen and most of the open brood, and presuming that most of the bees that are put into that hive will return to the original hive location, what's to keep the new hive from being robbed? By his own description, Michael Bush (hope he's reading this and will respond) the new hive with queen has a very small workforce, so won't this effectively be a weak colony unable to defend its stores of honey? Since the hive is backfilling the brood nest, there's a fair amount of honey that would go into this new hive.
Also, I intend to keep the split in the same yard with the parent hive. If the new hive loses too much of its population, should I just keep shaking nurse bees into it, over the following days?
Thanks for advice. This kind of split makes me nervous as it involves pulling apart the hive so drastically. I read another thread on the same topic and that was helpful, as well as Michael Bush's webpage about this kind of split.
Also, I intend to keep the split in the same yard with the parent hive. If the new hive loses too much of its population, should I just keep shaking nurse bees into it, over the following days?
Thanks for advice. This kind of split makes me nervous as it involves pulling apart the hive so drastically. I read another thread on the same topic and that was helpful, as well as Michael Bush's webpage about this kind of split.