I realize that the conventional wisdom says to not split a first year package, however I have a package top bar colony installed on April 17 that in about 7-10 days will have drawn out all the bars in the hive, so I have no more room to insert blank bars in the broodnest or for honey storage. For reference my cavity is 45" in length and we are in the midst of our main nectar flow which should go until mid-Julyish.
I lost my other package colony due to a drone layer and have not been successful in attracting a swarm.
I am considering doing a walkaway or even split (I have a terrible time finding the queen and I love this queen's attributes) from this strong colony this weekend so that I might head into winter with two colonies.
Is that a wise course for me to consider or should I leave well enough alone and keep this colony at maximum strength to improve my overwintering odds? If it is a good idea, is now the best time to do so or should I wait to get deeper into the flow to allow this colony to build further? I know I have to think about drone availability, too....
Thanks,
Kevin
I lost my other package colony due to a drone layer and have not been successful in attracting a swarm.
I am considering doing a walkaway or even split (I have a terrible time finding the queen and I love this queen's attributes) from this strong colony this weekend so that I might head into winter with two colonies.
Is that a wise course for me to consider or should I leave well enough alone and keep this colony at maximum strength to improve my overwintering odds? If it is a good idea, is now the best time to do so or should I wait to get deeper into the flow to allow this colony to build further? I know I have to think about drone availability, too....
Thanks,
Kevin
