Planning a split for next year

[Zante]

I currently have 2 hives in an apiary, and have been offered another couple of places where to set up an apiary. I have chosen one of these as there are plenty of acacia and sweet chestnut trees in range.

My hives (dadant) currently have 10 frames in the brood box, but I'm planning to take those down to 9 and add a dummy board. I will wait in spring for the acacia flow to be over and then I'll take 3 frames from the brood box and place them in a 6 frame nuc, replacing them with 2 sheets of foundation and a dummy board. Of course make sure they have frames of stores and brood on both sides of the split.
The nucs will then be given 3 sheets of foundation to get up to 6 frames and taken to the new apiary where soon the chestnut flow should be starting.

Does that sound like a good plan?

Should I strive to keep the queen in the old nest or would it be better to have her in the nuc? Or just not worry about that and let the bees sort themselves out?

 

[B+.]

Does that sound like a good plan?

Should I strive to keep the queen in the old nest or would it be better to have her in the nuc? Or just not worry about that and let the bees sort themselves out?

Yes.
Leave the queen in the hives and give the nucs a mated queen under a push-in cage. You may also need to feed the nuc until they are strong enough (do you have frames of comb to give the nuc or will they have to draw out foundation?)

 

[Zante]

Yes.
Leave the queen in the hives and give the nucs a mated queen under a push-in cage.

I'd rather not buy two queens though. I was hoping the nucs would make their own.

You may also need to feed the nuc until they are strong enough (do you have frames of comb to give the nuc or will they have to draw out foundation?)

I was planning to feed the nucs right from the beginning even if they'll have loads of forage, as I don't have comb to give them.

The initial idea was to get a small nuc and use the season to build them in a colony, while getting a small crop from the two hives I already have, which should be bursting at the seams with bees after the acacia (and rosemary and other stuff, but mainly acacia) flow also because there are some peach orchards nearby which bloom before the acacia which would be good for initial buildup.

 

[colinc]

Nucs will not have enough nurses in a lot of cases to raise a good well fed queen. If you don’t want to buy wait for swarm prep and do a split with a good queen cell or demaree in a vertical split to force lots of nurse bees to think they are queenless.


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[B+.]

I'd rather not buy two queens though. I was hoping the nucs would make their own.



I was planning to feed the nucs right from the beginning even if they'll have loads of forage, as I don't have comb to give them.

The initial idea was to get a small nuc and use the season to build them in a colony, while getting a small crop from the two hives I already have, which should be bursting at the seams with bees after the acacia (and rosemary and other stuff, but mainly acacia) flow also because there are some peach orchards nearby which bloom before the acacia which would be good for initial buildup.

Your season is much different to ours. You may get away with it. I don't know.
In England, I make cell builders this strong (https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3745) to nurse 30 cells at a time. The cells need lots of nurse bees feeding them constantly. If you could arrange it so they only have a few larvae to feed, set up like queen cells (https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3824), you may have enough bees to feed them. It's difficult to give advice when our circumstances are so different

 

[Poly Hive]

If you leave the nuc to raise its own queen there is a risk that they may not do the best job of it.

So..... here is an opportunity to buy is some good genetics to underpin your set up. I believe your queens are not as expensive as they are here so an even better situation to be in.

In my view, you have a good opportunity here which may very well pay off for you.

KISS

PH

 

[Beefriendly]

If you don’t want to buy wait for swarm prep o

I think this is only sensible if the queen is in her third season and has shown no previous signs of swarming.
Otherwise all you are doing is promoting genes for swarminess.

If you want your nuc to raise a good queen shake in lots of nurse bees when making it up and make sure they have plenty of pollen and feed when you add your frame you wish them to draw queen cells from would be my advice.

 

[Zante]

Hmm...

I am coming round to the idea of buying the two queens though. I really like my bees, they are nice and easy to handle and even with the dreadful year we've had they've managed to give me a few jars of honey on their first year, plus stores for themselves. I'll see if the beekeeper that sold me the nucs I started with also sells queens and what he asks for them, and I'll have the same genetics.

Also there's also the beekeeping cooperative in Florence I can inquire at.

If I see some queen cells before I decide to do the split I'll anticipate it and shake some extra nurse bees in as suggested, otherwise I'll look into buying the queens when I decide to split them.

 

[Zante]

Queens are between €10 and €15, and they're local. Not the same keeper who sold me the nucs, but pretty much the same genetics (quite likely he buys his queens there), so they should be similar to the ones I have.

At that price I will get two queens and give the nucs a better start.