# A walk away split



## $Simpleman76 (Apr 1, 2011)

I made a walk away split last Friday, and I am wanting to open the new hive tomorrow. Is it too early to open this hive? If I do need to open what would be signs of concern. Of course there wil not be eggs in the cells unless I have laying workers already. What do yall think?


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

You won't have laying workers until after all the brood has emerged. You kind of have to open it to see if they've started cells, huh? How else will you know if you need to give them more eggs and young larva?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

You should have sealed cells about 12 days old by now so be very careful not to jar or shake them. With that caveat, i would make sure they are there, if not get more eggs to put in or a new queen.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It takes about two weeks of broodlessness (not queenlessness) to get laying workers. That's two weeks after all the open brood is gone. As long as there is open brood laying workers will not develop. If you give them a frame of eggs in about two weeks you have some cheap insurance...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslayingworkers.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm


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## turboterry544 (May 29, 2009)

Thanks Mr.Bush


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## $Simpleman76 (Apr 1, 2011)

I opened up the new hive today. I found a capped queen cell and two uncapped cells on the seventh frame. Needless to say I was happy and so was my little seven yr old to see our queen cell. There was still a good amount of capped brood still there but of course no new brood or eggs. I hate that I had to get all the way to frame no. 7 to see the cells because I really did not want to disturb them anymore than I had too. Should I plan on adding some uncapped brood to this hive next friday? What should I be looking for next friday or should I even be concerned with opening this hive every week or so? Thanks


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If you have a capped queen cell and some uncapped, it will probably be another week before the capped one emerges and another two weeks after that before you'll notice eggs.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm


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## $Simpleman76 (Apr 1, 2011)

Should I add a frame of uncapped brood?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

As hard as it is to do, I try to leave the nuc or hive with cells alone for three weeks without intruding upon them.


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## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

$Simpleman76 said:


> Should I add a frame of uncapped brood?


Good question and I hope someone answers it. I personally make sure they are not broodless and don' t have eggs for more than two weeks even with a queen cell.

Some people say the period with no queen and no brood is also nice to help reduce mite population. I figure if they have no active queen running around then there is no queen scent and hence the chance of workers laying eggs goes up after two weeks without brood. I also add the brood and eggs in case the new queen does not make it back from her mating flight.

Last year I had moved a capped queen cell into a nuc with some bees. She emerged and never started laying eggs so must have not made it back from her mating flight. Glad I added the frame of eggs/brood because they built another queen and this year I'm moving the nuc into a full size box.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I usually just trust them for three or four weeks to get a queen. If I don't see any evidence of one then, I would add a frame of brood. But anytime you are worried, it's a good way to sleep at night...


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

If you did add brood every week or every two weeks would you defeat the advantage of breaking the breeding cycle of the mites?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>If you did add brood every week or every two weeks would you defeat the advantage of breaking the breeding cycle of the mites? 

I have not had a concern about mites for many years... I don't see any advantage if I don't have a Varroa issue... but if you are counting an a brood break, perhaps.


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