Splitting Double Brood

[PCH]

Hi,

2nd year BK. Last winter I took 4 hives through on Double Brood and one on Single. All five now on double, doing really well and with supers.

One of them is packed with bees in both brood boxes and it now has three supers on. A wonderful ‘21 queen from a split last year.

There are signs of them thinking of swarming, plenty of play cups and at least one fairly young QC, not yet capped.

After advice please. Do I do a straight forward split by taking a brood box off with queen in it and an even amount of brood and stores and adding roof and floor and then leave the other to raise QC’s? If so do I leave all supers on the hive without queen or split between them?

After your thoughts please. I do have access to another site as well if that helps.

We do have spare kit at the moment and are looking to grow by a couple of colonies this year.

Thanks!

 

[JamezF]

Demarree, perhaps?

Demaree

James

 

[Michael Palmer]

Take a 5 frame nuc from the colony and replace with empty comb...or foundation if you haven't got comb. Leave the old queen in the parent colony. Use the Doolittle method for making the nuc. Move to your new apiary. I believe in giving the new colony a mated queen. Here's a good presentation that has the Doolittle method highlighted

 

[rolande]

Re the above video with Larry Connor: does anyone have background info they can offer on the research he briefly touches on regarding differences in *eggs* in worker and queen cells?

 

[Sutty]

Doolittle technique is from about 58 minutes into the video.

 

[ericbeaumont]

All five now on double, doing really well and with supers.

Too late now there are QCs, but next time consider triple brooding: transfer a few frames of brood into a new box and slot it in between the two.