Joined
·
523 Posts
I've done splits successfully over the past several years but it only just now occurred to me to wonder: what are they doing while waiting? There were a lot of nurse bees suddenly with very little to do but tend the eggs/larvae that went with the split, and no more. This question isn't completely frivolous, because behind it is the pragmatic question: is it better to give a new (still queenless) split empty frames to draw out or already drawn comb for them to store honey. I'm suspecting that they are more likely to turn into field bees quicker than usual, and to be bringing in nectar and pollen. Anyone else have ideas on this? I would hazard a guess that they won't draw comb until they have a mated queen. Thoughts?