Volume 2 -------------------- March 4, 2011 --------------------Number 13
Previous subscriber count: 504 Current number of subscribers: 520
JOIN US SATURDY MARCH 19th FOR OUR BASIC BEEKEEPING CLASS!
The class is filling up but we still have plenty of openings since we are in a large facilities for this class. We will be having this class on Saturday March 19th, from
9am 3pm in Danville, IL at the Farm Bureau area. This class is for those who may not know anything about beekeeping and those who may have kept
bees for 1-2 years. Lunch is provided so click on this link or the image above for more information on how to register, or call us now to register call
217-427-2678 It is fun, entertaining and educational. Join us! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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www.honeybeesonline.com Contact us at: 217-427-2678
How To Make Spring Splits
by David Burns, EAS certified Master Beekeeper
Making Spring Splits
One of the most asked questions about bees is how to make splits, dividing hives in order to have
more hives. First, there are some harsh realities about making splits. Dividing a hive weakens or
reduces the numbers of bees in the hive. Obliviously this will temporarily slow down the original hive's
spring progression. And often when a split is made, both hives will suffer in the amount of honey
produced. Therefore, it is best to see a split as making more hives for the following year's honey
production, not the year of the split. Another challenge is queen acceptance. Depending on how the
split is made, either a walk away split or one in which a new, mated queen is introduced, either colony
could lose their queen. How? You could accidently kill the original queen in the manipulation of the hive.
Or she could be dropped in the grass as the frames are being transferred. Finally, there is a risk that a late
winter or early spring cold snap could chill the brood on the smaller split that does not have the number of
bees to withstand a cold snap.
But let's say you've weighed the risks and now you have decided to push forward and make splits. What are the benefits. More hives! And, splits will
usually relieve congestion in a hive and thus help prevent swarming. Sometimes when a hive desires to swarm, making a split from the hive satisfied
their swarm urge.
What's the best way to make splits? It's simple, just divide the hive. It does not have to be divided equally, but can be. For example, if the hive is huge
and there is brood and bees in both deep hive bodies, simply take the top hive body and move it onto a new bottom board with a top. As long as you
have transferred eggs, the new split can raise their own queen or you can introduce a newly mated queen. If you let the split raise their own queen, it will
delay brood development about 20-30 days. It takes 16 days for the queen to emerge from an egg, then another few days or weeks for her to start laying.
But if you time your splits perfectly, then you can have a newly mated queen on hand to introduce and she will start laying a few days later.
To give the split a good start my opinion is that you should pull out at least 4 frames. This split should resemble a nuc and by that I mean there should be
two frames of brood in various stages, a frame of honey and a frame of pollen. This will give the split the bees and food they need for a good start. You
can transfer less, but it will slow down the start.
Finally, when making a split a concern is that the split will fly back to their original hive. It can and does occasionally happen. Certainly the foragers will make
their way back home. There are a few things that can help.
1) Move the split more than 3 miles away and wait a couple of weeks before you move it back.
2) Swap locations, placing the split where the original hive was located. This will give the split a huge foraging force. The age progression in the establish hive
will quickly replenish the missing foragers.
Do not split until you are confident that you will not have cold evenings. In Illinois we aren't able to make splits until May 1.
If you are so fortunate to have strong colonies coming out of winter, consider making splits!
Next time....What's So Special About Top Bar Hives?
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Bees In The News....
Not Everyone Has Bee Educationed On Honey Bees, Bees Nearly Exterminated...READ MORE
Honey Production Is Up In Wisconsin..Read More
Why Beekeeping Is So Important And Why We Need More Beekeepers...READ MORE
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Belorussian language is spoken in Russia, Poland and the Ukraine. A beekeeper helping his association asked if he could translate our beekeeping newsletters
into Belorussian language and we of course gave him permission. He sent us the link and we thought you might have fun looking at it.
Now is the time to purchase your hive equipment and bees. We manufacture the woodenware
and provide the bees too. Check out our March Special one complete hive assembled and painted. Comes
with a screen bottom board, two deep hive bodies each with 10 wooden frames and foundation, a medium
honey super with 10 wooden frames and foundat, an inner cover and a telescoping top cover with metal. Also
included is a 3 lb package of bees with a marked and mated queen.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION or to place your order. Or call us at
217-427-2678
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Look At Our Upcoming Beekeeping Classes:
March 4th (Friday night 6-8pm Pest & Diseases: Diagnosis & Prevention CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
March 19th (Saturday) Basic Beekeeping 9am - 3pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
May 14th (Saturday) QUEEN REARING COURSE 9am - 3pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Ask your friends to sign up for this newsletter FREE
at http://www.honeybeesonline.com/ez.html
BEE SMART is free and comes right to your email inbox. We'll be relying on you
telling your friends about BEE SMART and passing it along to others.
..................................................................................................................
Bee Smart is a publication of
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
14556 N 1020 E Rd
Fairmount, IL 61841
(217) 427-2678
www.honeybeesonline.com
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms is here to serve the beekeeping community with beekeeping equipment, 3 lb packages, nucs, queens and more.
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Check out our FREE online Beekeeping Lessons