Swarms are a great way to get free bees, but if you’re already a beekeeper splits are another great way to increase your numbers! That’s right, you can get free bees by splitting hives!
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So, What is a Split?
A split is a term used when a beekeeper manually takes one beehive and makes it into two. This is done most often in the spring and is a great way to increase the number of hives you have without having to buy any bees.
Splitting bees can decrease the likelihood that your hives will swarm. A split is basically an artificial swarm! There are many different ways to split hives, and I am going to share my favorite method!
When do you Split?
You first want to find a nice strong hive. The stronger, the better. Sometimes, you can even get more than one new hive from a really strong colony! What you’ll be looking for is a hive that has two deeps and is filling them right up with bees everywhere.
Another thing to look for is swarm cells. While you often want to split BEFORE you see these cells, it’s sometimes inevitable. Just know that if you’re seeing a lot of swarm cells (that’s when you see many queen cells, usually along the bottom of a frame) that action must be taken soon!
Location!
In my opinion, splits are actually pretty easy! Once you have your target hive or hives, you will want to make sure you have a new area set up for them. Ideally, it would be at least 2 miles away from the original hive. I have a little hack though!
If you are unable to place your new hives at least two miles away (and let’s face it, most of us can’t!) then you can use my method. When splitting, I like to trap the bees in the hive for at least 3 days. Make sure they have ventilation!! If you don’t have a screened bottom board, make sure you use something like this moving net to keep the bees from returning to the parent hive.
So, choose whatever spot is convenient! Just be cognizant of the fact that if your location is near the original hive, that you make sure to keep the bees trapped in for a few days. This makes it more likely that the foragers leaving the new hive will do an orientation flight when they first leave the hive. Yeah, bees have an internal GPS! Blows my mind what these little gals can do.
What do I Need to Split my Hives?
Now you have your location set up, let’s get some equipment together! You will need enough equipment for a new hive (start with a feeder, one deep, hive bottom, inner cover, cover, and frames). I recommend also having a portable nuc box.
Even if you plan to give your new split a frame or two of honey from the original hive, you need to also feed them. You will want to give them a spring syrup. I recommend a top feeder- there are other feeders of course, but I just love the ease of top feeders. Entrance feeders are my second choice, but they encourage robbers. Then there are the frame feeders, but I find those a giant hassle, personally.
Don’t forget to also have your smoker (and fuel), hive tool, suit, gloves, and transport for the new hives ready to go. For transport, I absolutely love Gorilla Carts– this link is one with a convertible handle! It can be pulled or hooked up as a trailer.
The last thing you will need is a queen, if you’re not going to let the new hive raise their own. I prefer to let the bees raise their own queen, but if you do choose to buy one, it’s best to try and find someone local. Another great reason to be a part of a beekeeping club!
Keep in mind that a new queen is going to cost at least $30, and you will have to keep her caged for a few days until the other bees get used to her pheromones. This is one of the reasons I let them raise their own. Keep it to the true “Free bees”, right?
Now, HOW do I Split my Hives?
Once you have your location picked out and set up, it’s easy sailing! It’s best to do your split on a nice warm day in the early afternoon. You will want mostly nurse bees for your new hive. On a nice day, most of the foragers will be out, making your job easier!
Have all your equipment set up at your new hive location. Leave 5 frames with the new hive and bring 5 with you to the parent hive. If your nuc box has less space (some only hold 3 frames), bring as many frames as it holds or have additional nuc boxes.
Going into the Hive
Use your smoker on the entrance of the parent hive and crack open the top. Give them another few puffs of smoke and give them a couple minutes before digging in.
For the new hive, you’re going to want to find a frame or two of honey, two frames with eggs and/or young larvae, and a frame of capped brood. This is not a rule, but I find the most success with this combo.
Warning!
Be very careful to NOT bring the queen to the new hive. If you are letting the bees raise their own queen it’s not AS important, but for your records, you will want to know the age of the queen (when possible).
If you’re not sure which hive has the queen, it can get dicey. Especially since you’ll want to watch the queen-less hive closely. You want to ensure they raise a new queen or the queen you give them is accepted.
Moral of the story, find the queen in your parent hive and don’t bring her to the new hive. Life will be much easier.
Do a Split!
So, now you’ve found your 5 frames and made absolutely sure that you’re not bringing the original queen. Put those 5 frames into your nuc box. It is also good to grab a few other frames (avoid that queen!) and shake them into your nuc. Make sure you leave at least 2 frames out of the nuc while you’re shaking bees in so they have somewhere to go.
Inevitably, you will have some drifting back to the original hive if you aren’t bringing them at least 2 miles away. So it’s good to have some extras! Once you have all your bees and frames in your nuc for the new hive, you’ll be putting the parent hive back together.
Putting the Original Hive Back Together
Take those 5 empty frames you brought with you and place them in the parent hive. It’s up to you how you want to put them in. If you put new frames on the edges, they are more likely to get ignored, unless the hive is very active. If you put the new frames between the brood frames still in the hive, they are likely to have the comb pulled.
Just keep in mind that creating new wax does take a lot of energy (8 pounds of honey for 1 pound of wax!). So, unless the hive was very strong before you split, or you’re going to feed them, it may be better to push the original brood frames together and have the new frames toward the edge.
On the other hand, if it IS a really strong hive, this can be a perfect time to have new comb drawn out. So, it’s really just a judgment call.
The New Hive
The original hive is back together and now it’s time to put that nuc into the new hive! It’s quite simple- just take your donor frames and put them in the center of the hive. To be most like how the bees would organize it, put the egg frames together, then the capped brood, with any honey frames on the edge.
Shake any bees still left in the nuc box into the hive. Now put all the empty frames into the hive around the donor frames. All that’s left is to install the feeder and close them up!
Remember to keep the bees confined within their new home for at least 3 days. If you have a screened bottom board, you can completely close the entrance. But if you still need the ventilation from the front, this hive net can keep the bees from returning to the other hive.
That’s it!
You got free bees! That wasn’t so bad, right? I love splitting hives because I love saving money. But it’s also great that it reduces the possibility of a strong hive swarming. Good luck!
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