# What is the Fallout From Doing a Cutdown Split Too Early?



## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I agree, it's too early. Probably 3 weeks too early. I did one cutdown last year and I did it too early as well. I did mine the first week of April. I made honey with the hive, but didn't use a queen excluder, and when the new queen mated, she laid up from the bottom of the box all the way to the top of the 3rd super by late May. Not wall to wall brood, but right up through the middle of each box. Four to five frames per box. They ended up turning all the honey into brood, so I got nothing to extract and had a hive that built up huge and very, very strong, with nothing to do about mid June when they hit their peak in numbers. It was a total waste of resources since our flow was over. I did end up using some of the brood for splits.

My advice, put an excluder on. I don't typically use them, but have decided it's best to have some on hand to help with certain management procedures.


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## sandmtn (Jul 7, 2016)

ooh ... ! Thank you for sharing your experience and the insight Bradbee. 

I was really wanting a little honey this year - just for us and some neighbors. 

I will use an excluder. I don't have any drawn comb for supers. Would I add the excluder before or after they draw out the comb?

And should I add the supers in stages or more than one at a time?


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

if you put undrawn frames above an excluder, they will be ignored.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I wouldn't add an excluder until I had some drawn comb above the hive bodies. I have never done it but I have read many people say exactly what grozzie wrote. 

I add drawn supers 2 at a time on strong hives, but have never put on more than one box of foundation at a time. When they have 7 frames of so drawn, add another box. If that have one capped, move it up into the next box and replace that one with foundation. If they don't have a capped frame of honey, don't move a frame up, they'll just make it really fat instead of drawing and empty frame.


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## sandmtn (Jul 7, 2016)

Ok great. That's exactly the details that I needed to know. Thank you much!


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