Nucleus Split Question

[nmesmeric]

Hey Guys,

Quick swarm control question. when you perform a swarm control nucleus split. what is the trigger for this? do you wait until you have royal jelly and a built out queen cell, or could you do it earlier when you see an egg in a queen cup or just an exceptionally busy hive for instance?

Can you do a nuc split even without queen cells?

Thanks for the advice,

Felix

 

[Boston Bees]

Can you do a nuc split even without queen cells?

Yes, many people do that as a way of pre-empting the swarming impulse. See page 18 of the attached.

Or you can wait until you see QCs. In terms of reactive splits, an egg in a queen cup may just be removed by the bees, so doesn't necessarily mean they are going to swarm. But royal jelly is pretty conclusive - once you see that you need to do something like an artificial swarm / nuc etc.