This video is meant to inform the watcher of one of the ways to split a hive. Splitting a have is done to prevent a swarm in an overcrowded hive or to make more hives in your apiary. He takes three frames out of the five frame nook box and set them aside to put save room for the new frames. Take a frame that has food and pollen for the nook box. FInd the queen bee and put her in the new box while leaving the frame she was found on in the original box. There should be only 2 frames from the original box in the new box as to not take too much brood out of the original box. Wait 3 days before putting a new queen bee in the original box so the hive knows they are queenless and will accept her much better than if she is put in immediately. Mark the hive so you know which hive to put the new queen into.Move the new hive at least 3 miles away or the field bees will go back to the original hive and the queen will die.
This seems like a simple yet effective way of splitting a hive except it seems rather inconvenient to have to find a place to keep your new hive 3 miles away. I wonder if there is a way to split the hive without having to separate them for a time.
Good post.
ReplyDeleteFor your last question: I've heard that if you get a spell of rain for three or more days in a row, the field bees will take new orientation flights when they re-emerge. This might kick their instinct to return to their old location.