So sudden notable gain - it means to me, you are blessed with a bee friendly environment. All pulses with life.
The little splits are killing it! Drawing out beautiful comb + huge numbers.
Before the DeMaree debacle, I was using splits to cut back the colonies to prevent swarming. Went from 6 to 16 hives really fast, and no swarms at all.
Since then, I've been using the splits to boost the main hives, and WOW are they kicking it in gear! Almost hard to keep up with them. Due to being busy, and lacking enough frames, I've just popped medium boxes over the nuc hives to give them space.
Today, I decided to clean up some nucs and get them in full size boxes. One 5 frame nuc was stuffed with bees, and I put it in a 10 frame box, and they filled it up perfectly, once they spread out. They will probably need a super in a week or so, once all that brood emerges.
Another 4-frame nuc was really stuffed, top to bottom. Here is what I saw when I lifted the lid:
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I gave those new empty frames about a week ago, and all four frames to the left are fully drawn out and have nectar and brood in them. And look at that giant frame on the right. That thing must weigh 10 lbs. You will see why in a sec. I had pulled that frame up from the bottom box to encourage them to draw. And draw they did.
I went to lift the frames but, I couldn't. I used a hive tool to cut them out, and look at what I found:
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There were only four frames in the bottom box, and I was out of deep frames. So the bees decided to fix it for me. Two of the frames were drawn all the way from top to bottom. WOW, nice!
I took a pic then sliced the comb horizontally and rubber banded them into a deep frame, and I got four perfect deep frames, packed wall to wall with brood and honey. Very nice!
This nuc colony completely filled up a 8-frame deep plus a medium box, once they spread out. I'm guessing they will have it fully drawn out within a week.
These splits are performing very well, maybe better than the bigger hives. I wish I had stuck to my original plan, rather than trying something new, but hard to complain too much. Good bees are very forgiving.
Since then, I've been using the splits to boost the main hives, and WOW are they kicking it in gear! Almost hard to keep up with them. Due to being busy, and lacking enough frames, I've just popped medium boxes over the nuc hives to give them space.
Today, I decided to clean up some nucs and get them in full size boxes. One 5 frame nuc was stuffed with bees, and I put it in a 10 frame box, and they filled it up perfectly, once they spread out. They will probably need a super in a week or so, once all that brood emerges.
Another 4-frame nuc was really stuffed, top to bottom. Here is what I saw when I lifted the lid:
I gave those new empty frames about a week ago, and all four frames to the left are fully drawn out and have nectar and brood in them. And look at that giant frame on the right. That thing must weigh 10 lbs. You will see why in a sec. I had pulled that frame up from the bottom box to encourage them to draw. And draw they did.
I went to lift the frames but, I couldn't. I used a hive tool to cut them out, and look at what I found:
There were only four frames in the bottom box, and I was out of deep frames. So the bees decided to fix it for me. Two of the frames were drawn all the way from top to bottom. WOW, nice!
I took a pic then sliced the comb horizontally and rubber banded them into a deep frame, and I got four perfect deep frames, packed wall to wall with brood and honey. Very nice!
This nuc colony completely filled up a 8-frame deep plus a medium box, once they spread out. I'm guessing they will have it fully drawn out within a week.
These splits are performing very well, maybe better than the bigger hives. I wish I had stuck to my original plan, rather than trying something new, but hard to complain too much. Good bees are very forgiving.
