# Advice on splitting hive



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

I want to split this hive today, I couldn't find the queen yesterday but I'll try again today. I found multiple cells on several frames. Would I be able to use the swarm cells along with larve into a nuc? That's if I can't find the queen. 
I plan to use the comb for frames but for now I want to split. Thanks everyone!


----------



## Jackam (Jun 3, 2013)

What's with all the space and the rogue comb?


----------



## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

The queen is probably hanging out up there in that mess above the frames.


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

I placed a spacer above the frames when I was feeding them early spring and they quickly took over.


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

I managed to find her...So I put her on a frame with brood and larve, no cells in a nuc. In the nuc are all mediums except on deep of honey. The others are pollen (2ish frames) and brood (2 frames) - I hope that's okay - instead of feeding them sugar water im just going to leave that deep frame of honey in there.


----------



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Good job. I would only add to that selecting the best two swarm cells you see that are on the same side of the same frame and pinching the rest. That will end any swarming and afterswarming. A hive that booming will sometimes swarm itself to death.


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks, I was pretty proud of myself finding her fairly quick. Found her chewing her way into another cell, pretty hardcore. I left all the swarm cells in the queenless hive, not the nuc where the queen is now. You're suggesting pinching all but a couple in the hive? Won't the strongest first emerged queen so that?


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)




----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

I'm wondering if they've already swarmed but managed to still have a large colony left behind. I didn't find much larve. Lots of brood though. The larve was maybe at a week old.


----------



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I'm not Vance, but I also think you would be wise to reduce the number of cells in the parent hive down to no more than three nice big ones (two is the standard rec.)

Unless you want to make more splits/nucs in which case divvy them up further and make sure each part has two or three swarm cells. If you have a double screen/ Snelgrove board on hand I'd do a vertical split. 

The nice thing about swarm cells is that they were fed royal jelly without interruption as opposed to emergency queen cells which may not have had a steady diet of it.

Since you caught 'em just before the swarm, you've saved yourself a lot of trouble! Kudos for finding that queen.

ETA: If you found your identified queen, then they haven't swarmed as she would have left with the swarm. They sometimes slack off the brood a bit when they are backfilling.

Enj.


----------



## Eyeman (Oct 23, 2016)

> Found her chewing her way into another cell, pretty hardcore.


Isn't it the newly emerged virgin that goes round chewing the sides of her sisters queen cells and stinging them to death ?
The queen in your photo has a nice shiny hairless thorax so looks like the old queen.
Let us know how you get on.


----------



## Daniel SGa (Feb 8, 2015)

If that is a 10 frame brood box, I would put the tenth frame in there to get the bee space right before burr comb is on the sides. Looks like a good strong hive that could be drawing out plenty foundation right now.
Daniel


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

Update ::: I made the split two Saturdays ago and checked on the nuc which had the queen. She isn't laying and the hive has been robbed and I found no larve or eggs. Some capped brood but looks like they're dead. Some half emerged. I'm wondering if that is a virgin queen in there. If so, wouldn't she have mated already?


----------



## dharmaworker (Jul 2, 2015)

Also, maybe 1-2 frames at best of bees. They will not be lasting long. Any quick ideas to at least save the queen or help her lay?

The parent hive is still booming.


----------



## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

dharmaworker said:


> Also, maybe 1-2 frames at best of bees. They will not be lasting long. Any quick ideas to at least save the queen or help her lay?
> 
> The parent hive is still booming.


Add a frame of eggs and see what the bees do with it. If they don't make a QC, give her a week to see what happens. If she doesn't start laying, get a new queen or pinch her and combine with the old hive.


----------

