1st ever AS questions

[lebouche]

Hi,

I'm about to do my first ever AS. I'm good at spotting queens normally but have never been able to spot this one so she isn't marked.
Tomorrow I'm going to really try again to find her and do my first AS.
I only have one nuc spare. I have several full size hives and dummy boards available. Am I ok to use a dummy board and full size hive instead of nuc?

Thanks

 

[VEG]

Yep

 

[lebouche]

Thanks,
And do I need to fill the empty space with frames or insulation at this time of year?

 

[VEG]

Give them a couple of empty frames either side and as they start working them move the dummy frames out.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if you're doing an A/S you should use a full size hive anyway

 

[VEG]

You are correct JBM its the gin clouding my thoughts lol

 

[lebouche]

Split instead of AS

Hi,

I followed instructions on one website then read another saying I should have left the queen on the original site.
I have moved the queen with half of the stores and frames about two meters away and put the other half of the frames with queen cells into another hive.
All of the foragers will now return to the queen free colony…have I got this wrong?
I should add it took me so long to find the queen, had to go through the hive three times. She was slimmed down when I saw her and I finally got stung on the hands although no swelling yet.


Thanks,

 

[Erichalfbee]

OLD queen,NEW box, OLD site.
Flying bees into new box with queen and largely empty box
Parent hive with brood moved to the side with 1 or 2 queen cells. Go back 5/6 days to remove any extra queen cells. Move parent hive to the other side of original site 7 days after AS unless you have left just the one queen cell in which case you can leave it where it is.

 

[lebouche]

OLD queen,NEW box, OLD site.
Flying bees into new box with queen and largely empty box
Parent hive with brood moved to the side with 1 or 2 queen cells. Go back 5/6 days to remove any extra queen cells. Move parent hive to the other side of original site 7 days after AS unless you have left just the one queen cell in which case you can leave it where it is.

I'v done it the other way round and won't make it there till next week. I followed this link http://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-make-a-swarm-control-split/.
Also Michael Bush says you can move the hives for a few days to balance up the foragers.So the main difference is I have done more of a split than an AS. Maybe they will carry on producing swarm cells. I guess I should have fed them both to give them enough stores to draw the frames? The only stores they have are around the brood nest edges.