# Double screen method of splitting



## oldforte (Jul 17, 2009)

With the queen in the bottom box and the dbl screen separating the top box that has one of the frames with swarm cells from the botton box ..and with frames with house bees ...the back top door of the screen is opened for field bees to return to the bottom box.... then after a queen emerges from the swarm cell ...what to do next?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The swarm cell was a symptom and result of swarming being decided on by the colony. When you moved a frame up over a double screen, how did you change the equation? Unless you separated a lot of capped brood from the queen and a good portion of the population, the bees will often swarm anyway. Moving the queen up more reliably changes the equation. Then, as soon as the unit above is strong enough to reliably control their environment, move them to their own bottom board. Or after the new queen is mated and laying, one can recombine the colonies for honey production if you do not desire more colonies.


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## oldforte (Jul 17, 2009)

Vance, the bottom box will have no swarm cells after being moved up to the top box...don't think they will swarm without makings of a new queen?


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

I feel like coming in part way through the movie. Oldforte I think we need more background to what the conditions were before placing the double screen board. You do not explain what brood was on the frames with the "nurse" bees. If you move all open and capped brood and all nurse bees and all the swarm cells up above the division board the bottom box may not swarm but my understanding is that if they _were all set to go_ they might anyways. I think the odds are they will not swarm but if there are any eggs or larvae in the bottom box they could have a capped cell in about 4 or 5 days.

According to snelgrove if you also move the queen up with all brood and cells but direct all flying bees down with the diversion doors the started cells will be torn down as they cannot swarm with no flying bees. I have not tested that scenario myself as I have always applied the board before the bees were in full blown swarm mode. I use the side doors to do the first an second diversions and only open the rear door a few days before a virgin queen is about to fly to mate.


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## bee keeper chef (Nov 1, 2015)

You need to make the bottom box with the queen look like a swarm take all her open brood and fill the box with empty frames of foundation. This may stop the swarming instinct. By reversing the entrance on the top box all the foragers will return to the bottom box and start rebuilding. The upper box depending on how many cells are there may swarm if there are to many virgins reduce this number to 1 or 2 . After you have a laying queen remove top box as a split or off the queen in the bottom and recombine. That's my take on the double screen


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Google: _"The many uses of a Snelgrove board_" by Wally Shaw. And follow the instructions that specifically deal with what to do when you find charged queen/swarm cells.

Unlike a straightforward colony division using a Snelgrove boards, the presence of charged cells add an extra wrinkle and a couple of extra steps.

The solution is more complicated, involving having the queen in the upper section for two days then moving her back down and puttng the two frames the bees have developed queen cells on above the board in exchange There's a bit more to it than this bare bones description. But it is clearly described in the document I mentioned above.

It has never failed to work for me when the bees have sneaked some swarm cells in when I was a day or two tardy in checking.

Enj.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

oldforte said:


> Vance, the bottom box will have no swarm cells after being moved up to the top box...don't think they will swarm without makings of a new queen?


Try it your way and see what happens. You may know best.


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## oldforte (Jul 17, 2009)

"I have always applied the board before the bees were in full blown swarm mode. I use the side doors to do the first an second diversions and only open the rear door a few days before a virgin queen is about to fly to mate."

OK, Frank
Using the side doors for 1st and 2nd diversions....does that mean opening both doors at the same time to allow forgers to return to the bottom faster? I would assume after a day or two these doors would be closed. Now that all doors are closed I would assume that after close inspections of the top box for a few days to determine when a queen emerges the back top door would be opened for queen mating. Would this door remain open till eggs are evident....maybe for a week or two? The top box could then be removed to a permanent place and closed for a few days so the colony would recognize their home.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Oldforte
I am not trying to answer for frank and I am also pretty new. I think the way the doors work is this. When you set the hive over the double screen board. You will open one of the top doors on the side. The bees that were already flying will go out that and just go to thier normal entrance at your bottom board. If you still want more bees diverted down than after 5 days you will close the top entrance that you opend first and open the tab in the same place to divert the bees that are used to that side entrance down to the main hive. When you open that bottom tab you will also open the top tab for the other side for any new bees that hatch after the manipulation. This will be how you eventually use these doors on the double screen board. It really doesn't matter which door you have open on the top part that is making a queen as long as you don't make any changes to it when she might be on a mating flight. I think most try to end up with the back top tab being open when the mating flight is happening because that is furthest away from any other opening that the virgine queen might make a mistake on.

Clear as mud right?
Cheers
gww


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