# Splitting the hive in the North



## Aganger31D (Jun 1, 2015)

Is there still time to split a hive in the north? I live in western Pa and the hive is strong. I don't have a queen to put into it so I'm hoping for them to make there own. I know I wouldn't be getting honey from this year. I can power feed them and beef them up so they would have stores for winter. The other benefit is the golden rod is ridiculous when it comes out in the fall. 

any ideas and thoughts would be greatly helpful.


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## ethanhogan (Jun 1, 2016)

Well if you split or make them queenless and just let the hive build cells, then split you will be 3 weeks out from any eggs if successful and another 21 days before first brood hatches. I'm in zone 5 and if I was gonna split I would buy a queen or queens and split them into nucs and save yourself some stress and worry.


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## Joe Hillmann (Apr 27, 2015)

Up here I have been told, you can make a split where they make their own queen as late as the first week of August. I did one last year July 25th, fed it on and off for a couple weeks and it just barely made it through the winter. If I had given them empty drawn comb and fed them constantly they would have made it through the winter with more left over stores.

And if your split fails you can just recombine in the early fall.


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