# Splitting a top bar hive



## DennisBEEK (Feb 15, 2008)

This is my 2nd year as a beekeeper, and I have 2 top bar hives on my rooftop. One hive made it through the winter really well, while the other hive didn't. There are no live bees in the 2nd hive. My question is....is it possible for me to re-populate the vacant hive this spring with bees from my healthy hive? If so, what are the steps I need to follow to do this? 
Thanks.


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## laurelmtnlover (May 29, 2009)

Dennis and all, I thought I'd bring this post back up. I also have an empty new hive, and want to split my first year TBH that made it through the winter. The bees look healthy, are foraging and bringing in lots of pollen in this record breaking warm weather. The colony is building up, but not large enough yet, I think they will continue to build up well, and I will split right before the tulip poplar nectar flow late May and early June. I will look for drone cells, queen cells and apple blossoms in our area. After that, I have been confused by sites that use lang terms. 
Can someone simplifiy this for me? Thanks, happy Spring,
Carrie


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## Marc (May 20, 2005)

Hey Dennis, I would let your remaining TBH built up in strength for another month or so. Your swarming season should start around the end of April beginning of May, similar to mine. At that point I would take two bars with brood and the queen, plus a bar with honey and pollen (If the dead-out tbh doesn't have any) and move it into the now empty TBH. The original TBH will raise a new queen, probably won't swarm and the bees will continue to forage and bring in nectar. Most likely you will be able to harvest some honey from that hive. The split you made should be able to take off well. With it being so early in the season and with bars of already built comb built they should be able to built up to full strength before the winter.

Good luck!


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

We are in an El Nino weather cycle this year. 

Since I am in the northeast, it should mean a growing season that is extended by at least a month (earlier spring growth, later fall freeze). 

Some would say that the season will be extended for an even longer period than that (up to 2 months).

My point is this: shouldn't you plan to use that to your advantage?

I understand why some would advocate caution, but these El Nino 'oscillations' come our way only so often.

If you do get nailed by a cold snap on the front end (spring), you can still make it up on the back end (fall).

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/people/wwang/cfs_fcst/images3/usT2mSea.gif

I hope I got the right one.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

WLC said:


> http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/people/wwang/cfs_fcst/images3/usT2mSea.gif
> 
> I hope I got the right one.


Nice maps. What am I looking at?

Puzzled,
Wayne


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

It's a NOAA product. 

They're predictions for 90 day temperature variations in the US.

I wouldn't trust it too far in advance however.

The idea is to show how El Nino is affecting temperature.

I like what it's saying about where I am. :applause:


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