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I've experimented with cut down splits for 3 years now - with mixed results. This year I did about 10 - enough that I think I'm seeing some patterns. I did these splits all between the 13-17 of April. Our main flow - tulip poplar - started right on schedule on May 1. Today I inspected all hives for queenright status and need for additional supers of foundation (out of comb).
Those hives that did not get cut down and also have not swarmed yet have by far the most honey so far.
Hives that swarmed more than 2 weeks ago are the least productive.
Cut down splits have been very effective at swarm prevention, but honey production is a mixed bag.
The split hives which already have brood are not too far behind the qr hives. I expect that they have benefited from foragers drifting from queenless hives.
The ones with no (to me) clear evidence of a laying queen are not very productive so far. Those hives all got a frame of open brood today to check queen rightness, and will get caged queens if needed in a few days. The nucs those queens come from will get cultured cells.
None of this is earth shattering, but it indicates to me that it will be helpful in the future to give the queenless splits ripe cells to accelerate the requeening.
Your experiences with this manipulation?
Those hives that did not get cut down and also have not swarmed yet have by far the most honey so far.
Hives that swarmed more than 2 weeks ago are the least productive.
Cut down splits have been very effective at swarm prevention, but honey production is a mixed bag.
The split hives which already have brood are not too far behind the qr hives. I expect that they have benefited from foragers drifting from queenless hives.
The ones with no (to me) clear evidence of a laying queen are not very productive so far. Those hives all got a frame of open brood today to check queen rightness, and will get caged queens if needed in a few days. The nucs those queens come from will get cultured cells.
None of this is earth shattering, but it indicates to me that it will be helpful in the future to give the queenless splits ripe cells to accelerate the requeening.
Your experiences with this manipulation?