Split Questions

[Beersinthegarden]

Good evening, I have a few quick questions I would like to hear some opinions on if I may.

Would you feed a newly split nuc kept near same location to parent hive that has most likely lost most of it's current foragers back to main hive?

is 3 frames with plenty of bees, eggs, brood and stores and queen cell enough to start a 5 frame nuc split?

Is old queen with two frames of stores and brood enough to start 2nd nuc?

 

[gp125john]

Would you feed a newly split nuc kept near same location to parent hive that has most likely lost most of it's current foragers back to main hive?

Depends on how much stores you put in with them, maybe check in a weeks time but some of the bees will start foraging over the next few days as they mature.

is 3 frames with plenty of bees, eggs, brood and stores and queen cell enough to start a 5 frame nuc split?

Is old queen with two frames of stores and brood enough to start 2nd nuc?

The answer to your last 2 questions is yes but...

1 strong nuc is better than 2 weak ones if you are trying to build up another production colony.

Make sure the queen cell is sealed or close to being sealed before you put it in a nuc as there won't be that many bees to look after it.

Make sure you have plenty of bees in each nuc you may have to top it up with nurse bees after a week if you lose too many back to the origjnal site or they defect to other colonies. Check they have enough stores after a week, particularly as your old queen will be laying straigh away and using up resources.


The weaker the nuc is to start with, the slower they will build up. Poly nucs are excellent for allowing small nucs to build up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

put a frame of stores in to each nuc and you don't need to feed (I usually have loads of frames of stores - left over from winter, taken out of hives at the first spring inspection.)

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Appreciate the feedback

Have checked and both have lots of bees and also added a frame of honey into each.

I do however have another question or so. Could I have already had a new queen already laying in the main hive when I did the split as I saw eggs in the hive two days after original queen swarmed or could these still be from original queen?

The 3 frame split seems way too active already compared to the one with original queen which seems normal for new split very low activity. I am guessing I possibly put a new laying queen in there and more bees have gone there or it's being robbed by the original hive. I can't see any fighting at entrance but the queen-less split seems to be nearly as active at entrance as main hive and it should have lost most of it's foragers back to main hive.

Is it a problem if I have put a queen in the nuc with a queen cell?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I do however have another question or so. Could I have already had a new queen already laying in the main hive when I did the split as I saw eggs in the hive two days after original queen swarmed or could these still be from original queen?

Contrary to what some people 'believe' (maybe assume would be a better word) the fact is, the queen seldom stops laying completely, due to reduced feeding her laying rate will be a lot less but yes, she will still lay up to the point they swarm. I've had the fortune (or misfortune maybe) of actually witnessing swarms leaving the hive and on checking immediately after found there to be eggs present in each case.

 

[drex]

As per JBM but also, Eggs are eggs for three days, so yes, they could be from the queen who swarmed two days prior

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Thanks for clearing that up i'll assume it's just the original queens eggs I saw and both hive and split are q-less awaiting q cells to emerge.

Bear with me I have a few more questions for you. This is my first time making a split which was unexpectedly forced upon me due to a busy hive, lack of inspections and them swarming (learned my lesson there)

Both q cells were capped so when roughly should I expect a mated queen back in the hive laying and how long should I wait before inspecting and disturbing, also what are the chances that a queen doesn't make it back from mating flight?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Look in three weeks.
If you want to check the Q had emerged from the QC have a look 8/9 days after you thought it was sealed. Quick look though. Just the frame with the QC.
As for getting back...who knows