# Split with low number of bees / robbing screen / questions



## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

Made three splits off 3 hives Friday. The last one i didn't wait long enough to get very many bees through the excluder before i put them in the nuc. It got about 1 full frame worth of bees, 5 frame deep, 3 nice brood frames and 2 stores of nectar/honey/some just drawn.
Took all three home and noticed right away yesterday that the last one didn't have enough bees for all the activity vs. the others so i put a robbing screen on it last night.
Watched off and on today and see bees approach, hover around for a while and end up going in the nuc next to it. They are all three on 6 ft. landscape timber on blocks so not very far apart, 2 feet apart at most.
Maybe saw 3 bees all day actually go in above the robber screen, it is 4 1/2 inches tall and open all the way across the top. Plenty of bees approach but hardly any activity, some come out but like said only a few all day seen going in.
Put plenty of bees in the other two nucs and watching them and seeing the other concerns me. I opened the lid, saw the queen cage candy was just about to let her out, saw enough bees on the two frames on the sides of the cage to lead me to feel like it may be ok. There were a few on the other frames as well but not many.
I haven't fed any of them, i put some frames with stores that had weight to them so i figured they would be good for a while. Did put an open feeder in the yard along with some pvc tubes on the fence with Beepro in them. They haven't touched any of either.
Since this is only the second day should i trust that the screen, 3 frames of brood and stores will be sufficient for now?
Would moving the weaker one to the location of the one next to it and moving the other a few feet away help or hurt?
Appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks,
Chris


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## c-bees (Jun 1, 2017)

You made stronger splits than I usually do, and I don't buy queens, either the nuc has to make their own, or they just get a queen cell. The activity will pick up as they develop into foragers.....swapping weak with strong won't hurt, but probably isn't necessary, either. Just my opinion, of course, but I'd just kick back and let them do their thing. 

That lack of immediate activity can make you start doubting your course of action, but what you described seems more than fine in my book.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

c-bees said:


> You made stronger splits than I usually do, and I don't buy queens, either the nuc has to make their own, or they just get a queen cell. The activity will pick up as they develop into foragers.....swapping weak with strong won't hurt, but probably isn't necessary, either. Just my opinion, of course, but I'd just kick back and let them do their thing.
> 
> That lack of immediate activity can make you start doubting your course of action, but what you described seems more than fine in my book.


Thanks, yeah i let it drive me nuts today and kept checking lol. Put three brood in that one because i knew it looked low on bees thinking that would help offset the issue.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i think it depends on how much care the 3 frames of brood is going to need and to what degree the one frame of bees can meet those needs. 

if the brood is mostly capped then being provided with food won't be much of an issue. if it's not getting too cool at night then keeping the brood warm won't be much of an issue.

if you aren't seeing larvae/pupae being removed after 2 days you are probably ok.

usually it's best not to mess around with the bees when you have a queen in a cage waiting to get released. you may want to do as c-bees suggests and just let things play out and learn what you can from the experience.

for adding more bees what i generally do is place something like a piece of plywood up against the entrance and shake a frame or two of nurse bees from hive that can spare them onto that board, taking care that the frames being shook don't have the queen on them, and the nurse bees will walk right in and be accepted without any problems.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

squarepeg said:


> i think it depends on how much care the 3 frames of brood is going to need and to what degree the one frame of bees can meet those needs.
> 
> if the brood is mostly capped then being provided with food won't be much of an issue. if it's not getting too cool at night then keeping the brood warm won't be much of an issue.
> 
> ...


Thanks, i did see a couple larva removed, one was out of this hive. Low tonight will be 60. Mostly capped, but there was some open as well. Thought and worried about that being an issue. With all three having queens installed in cages is really didn't want to mess with them right now.
That's what i thought, let it play out and learn from the experience. But,,, if there are any warning signs i need to be aware of i would appreciate hearing them. I suppose it makes sense to see a few larva being taken out with the lack of bees? I could be overestimating the number in there, worse scenario i think would be one full side of a frame of bees....


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

removal of just a couple larvae would not worry me too much. not seeing much flying for a week or two would not be unexpected.

i think your options are to either let it play out and see what happens or,

go back to the big hives you made the splits from and shake in some nurse bees from them as described above.


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Listen to squarepeg.

I made small splits this year the first time ( 2 combs). They were with old laying queen without foragers. I brushed some nurse bees on ( one comb). Brood was mixed. 
I put in 4 frames with honey domes on comb and only comb, no foundations so the queen could go on laying and they did not need to draw comb.
No traffic for more than one week. 
Then the first traffic, a small number. We have nice weather and very good flow, temperature 18°C at night, up to 35°C at day, not much shade.
Now, after 4 weeks they are very strong and storing nectar, but you must be patient.

I use robber screens.
Never do a small split with low density. Brood must be covered. You can leave them alone if they have stores. If I had introduced a queen I would use a stick on cage on hatching brood and make a small hole in comb from the backside after 3 days. Success is almost sure then and she will have started to lay already.


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