# Splits from Queen Cells. Do I need to make mating nucs and wait till the next day?



## Josiah Garber (May 22, 2013)

If I have a hive full of queen cells, can I simply split it into multiple hives and make sure there is at least 1 frame with a queen cell in each hive? Or do I need to make up mating nucs and come back the next day and introduce the queen cells?

I'm guessing this is a pretty basic question, but wasn't sure what would be best.


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## Akademee (Apr 5, 2020)

I just go for it and just do everything the same day. If you make sure you have plenty of nurse bees in each nuc, then you should be fine since they won't leave. Queen acceptance rate when a queen cell is used is very high, certainly much higher than if you were to introduce a mated caged queen.


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## HTB (Aug 12, 2020)

Yes you can split it into multiple colonies. My experience is that 3 frames and a follower board to minimize space works just fine but if you don't need or want to maximize the number of colonies 4-5 frames each is better.


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## Josiah Garber (May 22, 2013)

Thanks that is helpful. I will go for it on the same day.

If I introduce frames to the split from other colonies on the same day does that mean they may not be as likely to accept the queen?


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## Josiah Garber (May 22, 2013)

Josiah Garber said:


> Thanks that is helpful. I will go for it on the same day.
> 
> If I introduce frames to the split from other colonies on the same day does that mean they may not be as likely to accept the queen?


The splits worked very well with the queen cells. Started the year with 5 hives, caught a few swarms, made splits and I'm up to 16 hives looking very good.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

My experience is that it is best to put the cell into the splits immediately. Less chance that they will decide to start emergency cells on any suitably aged larvae. When putting together frames from multiple hives you may be bringing in some bees with loyalties to the larvae on them but I have not worried about it, however I recently had a failure of a queen introduction into a hive which I had caged and removed the existing queen from; unknown to me, they had been in the process of supercedure before I made the split but I missed it.

When splitting to small nucs it is often hard to get frames with a good balance of honey, pollen and age spread of brood. Feeding can be crucial and reducing entrances to a very minimum especially if your bees and conditions lend to robbing.


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