# Another Vertical Split Question



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

I' ve always left the top open. Your foragers are now tuned into the lower entrance. You will lose most of those now anyway. Open the top entrance now.
I count May 30 as day 14 from graph or split. That would be a good day to move the split or you can wait until she starts laying. 

If you have more than one frame with QC's make more than one split. Better chance of mated queen and you can pick which one you like if you get more.


----------



## DaisyNJ (Aug 3, 2015)

Separate the top off BEFORE virgin(s) emerge out of cells. That will save you LOT of headaches.


----------



## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

Why wouldn't you put this box on its own bottom board and be done with it? What are you gaining by keeping it on top of this hive? I like the way you started with putting frames of eggs above a queen excluder but they only need to stay there for a few hours up to 24 hrs.
Ray


----------



## Apisherder (Mar 9, 2017)

All, thanks for the responses.

Ray, I want to leave the split above the mother hive until the QC are capped in order to take advantage of all the hives resources to nurse the QCs. My thought was that the split contains less bees and the additional mother hive resources would be an advantage.

Daisy, what headaches am I avoiding if I remove the split from the mother hive prior to virgin queen emergence?

Again, thanks all!


----------



## DaisyNJ (Aug 3, 2015)

Apisherder said:


> All, thanks for the responses.
> 
> Ray, I want to leave the split above the mother hive until the QC are capped in order to take advantage of all the hives resources to nurse the QCs. My thought was that the split contains less bees and the additional mother hive resources would be an advantage.
> 
> ...


Removing prior to queen emerging is fine. But if you leave it waiting for the new queen to lay, obviously, you will run into situations of virgin sneaking to downstairs, entering wrong place, etc.


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

The queen castle is based upon the few bees needed to support mating as opposed to rearing. Divide is multiple mating chances, Not splitting gives one.

At some point the split needs it's own staff. Field and guard bees. You need to plan how you are going to cross that path.


----------

