MAKING SPLITS
SPLITTING A HIVE
When you are conducting your weekly inspections and come across swarm or supersedure cells, rather than destroying them, why not use them to expand your apiary.
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Materials: For this process you will need a nucleus box and some spare frames of old comb or new foundation. Additionally, you may need a hive stand for the new location of the nucleus box.
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Process: If you find supersedure or swarm cells, what you are going to do is take some frames of food and brood in all stages and place this into your nucleus and put the old queen in the nucleus, the bees from the original hive will suspect that the colony has swarmed. As the swarm cells are still in the original hive, the queen will emerge and take over the existing hive.
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Identify a strong hive: To make a split, you need a strong, healthy colony that has a good laying queen and plenty of worker bees.
Locate swarm cells: Look for charged swarm cells within the hive. These cells are usually located on the bottom of frames.
Create the nucleus box: Take a spare nucleus box and add frames with foundation or drawn comb. Fill the box with frames until you have enough space for the frames of brood and frame of food stores, honey and pollen.
Prepare the frames: Choose at least two frames from the existing hive. You will require a frame of stores and a frame of brood in all stages. Inspect the frames to ensure there are no swarm cells and transfer these frames to your nucleus. Put the frames in the centre of the nucleus box. Check the frames for the presence of the queen, and once located, put her into the new nucleus.
Shake off some bees: Shake some bees off the existing frames into the nucleus. Do not do this with the frame that has the swarm cell as this can cause the queen within the cell to become dislodged or injured. If you need bees from this particular frame, gently brush them off.
Nucleus: Put on the crown board and roof and close up the hive entrance and strap the box ready for transport.
Existing hive: Destroy all charged cells on the frames of the existing hive but leave one cell which will house your new queen. Add new frames of foundation to the outer edges and refit the crown board and roof. Mark the hive in some way so that you are aware that this particular hive is queenless.
Marking the queen: If you get an opportunity, capture the queen and mark her with the appropriate colour for the year.
Feed the bees: Provide the bees in the nucleus with sugar syrup (2:1) and pollen patties to help them re-establish themselves.
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Transport the nucleus: Place the nucleus box in a location away from the existing hive, ideally at least three miles away, to prevent the foraging bees from returning to the original hive location. After approximately two weeks, you can bring this nucleus back to the original apiary, set up in a new location in the original apiary.
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Inspection: Leave the existing hive for four weeks before carrying out any inspections. Do not be tempted to open the hive. After four weeks, when you carry out an inspection you should find a laying queen.
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Monitor the split: Keep an eye on the nucleus to ensure that the bees are building comb and that the queen is laying eggs. Once the nucleus is established, it may be time to transfer this to a new hive.
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Maintain records: Beekeeping records are an important tool to manage colonies effectively and ensure the health and productivity of their bees, don't forget to record your findings.
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