# Where to find (step by step)regression info?



## Ruben (Feb 11, 2006)

I have done searches and can not find what I am looking for. I started my two hives last spring on starter strips with a goal of small cell. I also bought and have ten hives that are on regular foundation. I am looking for the proper steps to take to start the regression for the hives that exist on 5.4mm comb as of now. I have been unable to find this in a search. Thanks for your help.

Ruben Showalter


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It sounds like you did the first step. Just feed in frames of either small cell foundation, starter strips or empty frames in the brood nest as the bees are strong enough to cover them and draw them. I would do this anyway for swarm control, but if you keep doing that until you have all 4.9mm or smaller in the core of the brood nest and keep culling out combs that are the largest, you'll get there.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
http://www.beesource.com/pov/lusby/index.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers


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## Ruben (Feb 11, 2006)

Thanks Michael, at what time this spring should I remove the frames from the brood nest? How many frames should be removed at a time? How often should this be done, once per year or what? Also I have enough equipment to start between 8 and 12 more hives, could I remove these frames with the bees attached and start new colonies? 

I was thinking for instance taking a colony and removing every other frames and putting in frames with starter strips, then taking the frames I removed with bees attached and putting in a nuc or another hive body. Then repeat the process in a few months with the other half of the frames. Or is there a better way?


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

Ruben,

I'm a relative rookie so take this with a grain of salt

your onto the method I'm going to use
when you take frames out of your existing colonies you never want to leave enough empty space that the bees can't fill the space and keep the remaining brood warm
never leave two adjacent frames
so you can probably only take one or two from a hive at a time depending on how strong it is 
but since you have several hives you can combine frames from several hives to make your splits
you need to be sure you know where the queen is when you do this
you have to either
1) leave the queen in the original colony and make sure you have fresh eggs in the split so it can raise a queen
2) put a queen in the split and make sure the original colony has the eggs it needs to raise a new queen
since you're combining frames from multiple hives this leaves many options
in the end you want to leave all the parent colonies with either laying queens or the resources to raise one
the splits need the same
it's MUCH better if you put the splits in a nuc which is better matched to the size of the new colony
I think you can imagine how this all works into moving them towards small cell (all the colonies are gonna need new frames, give em SC or NC)

Dave


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I'd be pulling empty frames when you can. Honey frames if you have to. Usually I keep moving frames out and then up until they either aren't occupied or I intend to harvest them.

There is no magic time or really simple way to tell how much or when to add frames to a brood nest, but Dave covered the basics. If you pull an empty out or move a honey or pollen frame up a box, then make space for the empty in the center of the brood nest. If the bees don't fill it quickly with festooning bees, then you should wait and move them back. If it IS full of festooning bees then put in the empty frame. Unless the hive is really booming I wouldn't put more than one at a time in. In a really booming hive I wouldn't put more than three at a time in.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

it's hard to describe this process in text like this
here's a thought
you don't want to take to much out of a hive at a time, you'll leave a cold spot and get chilled brood
you said you have ~12 hives
take one frame from each hive
(you only need about eight so you can steal from the strongest)
now your not hurting each hive much but you have enough to make a full box split
the original hives will recover fast
you can do it again in a week or two (steal from the strongest to discourage swarming)
start doing this at the beginning of the flow, I'd guess April 1 where you are (maybe earlier if you're feeding them)
this way you get several splits, discourage swarming and move toward SC
how good does it get??

Dave


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

I have been doing a slow start at regression and I think I need to get more aggressive. I believe the key is what MB says.
My plan:
Move large cell toward honey storage and eventually harvest, Insert small cell strips or empty frames at center of brood and migrate outward --(1 for 1) or if brood nest is expanding (1 for 2) - ie if not ready for harvest move to other hive/nuc/etc and 2 empties on each side of a drawn)


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