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Hey all! First, this site rocks! I have learned so much, thank you!!

I had a couple of hives last year and really enjoy beekeeping! So much I wanted to grow by about 5 hives. Well I had such a hard time finding bees this year that when I found some I bought 15 nucs! I pick them up on March 22nd.

With a craigslist ad I already have 10 nucs sold at $100 each, thing is that I would really like to keep 15 hives myself.

My thoughts are to take 5 nucs and let them go on their own. The other I was thinking of trying to put 1 or 2 deep nuc boxes on top and split 3 ways, or in half.

Question is how should I manager these nucs? I have an exception location to keep the bees, an organic nursery with well over a thousand holly and tons of other plants and flowers on 35 acres.

Am I silly to do that many splits? Should I see how much building up I should do and go for honey? Split some and let some be?

My goal is to have the nucs pay for themselves and end up with 15 new hives this year.

Thanks all for your help!

 

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Sorry if I wasnt clear, was typing on my blackberry

I have 15 nucs coming in, they are overwintered and treatment free. My thought is to grow them to 10 or 15 frames (2 or 3 nuc bodies deep) and then split them... i hear that overwintered nucs can do very well!

 

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@tct1w - Reading away! Thanks for the link

@CentralPAguy - Yes. Trying to see if it is possible to get splits from them. I figure with the location they will be in, if the weather plays nice at all, if I can split before April 15 I should be able to get new queens laying before the middle of May. I hear June 1 is about the deadline in my area. But per the MDA method I am reading about looks like maybe I could go later. Maybe I will try it on a hive or two, assuming they are over 8 frames.

Main Goal: Have 15 nice hives at the end of this year.
2nd Goal: Sell 15 to 30 nucs to pay for my 15 hives while still giving the bees a great chance.

Just trying to see if that is all possible.