Moving hive after a snelgrove split

[Rooster007]

Hi All,

Posting this again in the beginners section as this might of been in the wrong area.

I'm looking for a bit of basic advice here on moving the top part of the hives onto a new floor etc. after a snelgrove split.

I managed to successfully split 2 hives earlier this year (about 6weeks ago) using the snelgrove method and all top and bottom brood boxes and doing well.

They both have strong laying queens and are building up stores well in the supers that I added.

This means the hives are getting tall and heavy and I want to split the hives up now.

I've the hive stands and floors ready (with the entrances facing the same directions as the upper snelgrove splits on the 2 original hives) so I will end up with 4 hives.

My questions is, when you advise moving the top brood boxes to the new floor etc.

I was only planning on moving them around 5ft and wondered if this was enough?

Also, what is the best time of day to do this?

I would do it in the middle of the day but wondered if the foragers would find the new position of the hive?

I'm still a relative newbie and only in my second season so any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Walrus]

I'm not sure why nobody has answered...maybe I'm about to step into a minefield...

So you have 2 "double decker" hives i.e. 4 hives on 2 floors with a board between upper & lower hive. If you move them to new floors in the same apiary, as you plan to, the foragers will go back to the original site. I would take them to another apiary but if not:

- move in the evening
- put an obstacle over the entrance of the new position (e.g. crown board angled between the ground and the brood box)

Hopefully a proportion of the flyers will re-orientate once they sense that things have changed. Even if most of the flyers leave it won't be long until others come on stream - just make sure they have some honey and pollen.

The hives that are staying put will probably gain extra bees so make sure they have space.

Hope that helps.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Go back a day later and shake the bees from the super in the stationary box into the one you've moved?

 

[domino]

I've used this method and it works well for me.

https://honeybeesuite.com/how-to-move-a-hive/

I rearranged my yard a few weeks ago and just moved the hives to new spots and let the bees short themselves out. If they are lots of nurse bees they'll be fine moving them and the foragers will find a new home.

 

[Rooster007]

Thanks everyone.
I do indeed have 2 double decker hives.
There are both as follows from bottom to top.

Floor
Bottom broodbox
2 supers
Snelgrove board
Top broodbox
1 upper supper
Roof

I will try to move them late evening and see how it all goes.

EricA, are you suggesting I leave the snelgrove on the original site and leave a super on and just move the brood box and then shake the bees from that super to their new home 24hours later?

Thanks

 

[Erichalfbee]

EricA, are you suggesting I leave the snelgrove on the original site and leave a super on and just move the brood box and then shake the bees from that super to their new home 24hours later?

Thanks

Yes

 

[maz0]

Out of curiosity, (beginner question) why bother with the snelgrove board? You can just take out the queen cell frame with some others, a few frames of nursery bee's and frames of brood/honey and put into a new hive/nuc, and situate it wherever you want it to be...then you don't have the issue of having to force re-orientate a hive later on...am I missing something?

 

[Walrus]

Out of curiosity, (beginner question) why bother with the snelgrove board? You can just take out the queen cell frame with some others, a few frames of nursery bee's and frames of brood/honey and put into a new hive/nuc, and situate it wherever you want it to be...then you don't have the issue of having to force re-orientate a hive later on...am I missing something?

It's all personal choice and depends on what equipment you have at the time. Doing a vertical artificial swarm means you don't need an extra floor/roof at the time of doing it.

Also, if you want to control swarming but don't want to make increase you can remove QCs from the top then re-combine easily later.

Or, you can do a reverse A/S where the queen is upstairs with the QCs...(the cells get torn down) - there's always plenty of options!

Some beekeepers let them make a new queen upstairs then re-combine (simply remove the board) and nature will decide which queen wins

 

[maz0]

It's all personal choice and depends on what equipment you have at the time. Doing a vertical artificial swarm means you don't need an extra floor/roof at the time of doing it.

Also, if you want to control swarming but don't want to make increase you can remove QCs from the top then re-combine easily later.

Or, you can do a reverse A/S where the queen is upstairs with the QCs...(the cells get torn down) - there's always plenty of options!

Some beekeepers let them make a new queen upstairs then re-combine (simply remove the board) and nature will decide which queen wins

Interesting! thanks for the explanation

 

[Rooster007]

Interesting! thanks for the explanation

Hi Maz,

I'm new as well and was recommended initially to use a pagden for an AS last year but didn't really have enough equipment to do it then (didn't catch my swarm either).

This year our local association had someone give a small talk on the snelgrove board method for AS and a doing a vertical split.

I have to say its worked very well for me and I always have the option to unite if the split didn't go to plan.

Walrus is right and there seem to be a lot of choice with the snelgrove method but maybe I've been brainwashed and still learning.

 

[Levitt53]

I've done a few snelgrove splits and usually move them at the time when you do the last door change at day 14. However as I tend to leave the board on for a couple of days with the lid upturned on top so that the bees that return can get back in. This is effectively like doing the last door change anyway. I find it far easier that way. Remove the lid in a few days and the bees will eventually find the bottom entrance. This depends on you having room though.