This document discusses planning for increasing beehive numbers in the spring. It outlines several methods for acquiring new hives, including buying packages or nucs, catching swarms, and making splits from existing hives. Splits involve dividing a hive in half so both parts get a queen, brood, and supplies. Walk-away splits require minimal equipment and labor. The Miller method for raising queens from existing hives is also described in detail. The presentation provides guidance on timing and considerations for various expansion techniques.

1. Planning for Spring Increase
Presented by Rick Bledsoe

2. Presentations on slideshare:
slideshare.net/rickbledsoe16

3. You will probably want to add hives to
your apiary next spring
– to make up for winter losses
– to expand your operation
– to have “extra” hives, just in case

4. – buy more
– package bees
– nucs
– catch them
– bait hives
– catch swarms
– raise them
– splits
– raise your own queens

5. Timing for doing a split
●
As soon as mated queens are
available for purchase, or as soon as
drones are flying.

6. Concepts of Splits
Both old & new hives need:
●
Queen or the resources to make one
●
Honey and pollen
●
Nurse bees to tend brood
– Older bees drift back to the original site
●
Frames in proper order: brood together, honey
& pollen to outside

7. ●
Using a laying queen will shorten
the time they are queenless.
– Rearing a queen will take an average
of 24 days.
– Introducing a queen will take an
average of 4 days.
– Difference of three weeks.
●
Letting them rear their own queen
is more likely to get local
acclimatized genetics, and possibly
some survivor genes.

8. A Few Basic Splits
●
Even split
●
Walk away split
●
Typical split
There are many more ways to split
hives—these are just a few.

9. Even Split
●
You take half of everything and
divide it evenly
– Keep the brood nest intact
●
Place both new hives facing each
other

11. Even Split
Returning bees aren't sure which
hive to come back to.
In a week or so, swap places to
equalize the drift to the one with the
queen.

12. Walk Away Split
●
frame of eggs
●
two frames emerging brood
●
two frames of pollen and honey
●
put them in a 5 frame nuc
●
Shake in some extra nurse bees (make sure
you don't get the queen)
●
Put the cover on and walk away.
●
Come back in four weeks and see if the
queen is laying (beware of laying
workers/poorly mated queen).

13. With just one or two strong hives you can
pull frames and make up a nuc.

14. Simplified Walk Away Split
●
Take the top box off of a two box hive (or the
middle box from a three-box hive) in early
spring when there are bees and brood in both
boxes.
●
Set it on bottom board with cover.

15. Simplified Walk Away Split
●
Check in four weeks for a growing number of
bees in both hives.
●
Combine if there is no queen.

16. Typical Split
●
Same as the walk away, but you
introduce a queen.
●
They will be three weeks ahead of a
hive that is raising their own queen,
so you will have to start them in a
larger box than a nuc.

17. Review of Splits
Both resulting colonies need:
●
Queen or the resources to make one
●
Supply of honey and pollen
●
Plenty of bees

18. Miller Method of Raising Queens
Choose strong parent colony
with desired traits
Insert frame with foundation
triangles into center of nest
Check every 2 days to see if
bees have drawn comb
Look for eggs in new comb

19. Miller Method
Prepare CELL STARTER
(queenless nuc with lots
Of nurse bees)
about 24 hours before
eggs should hatch
Remove the special frame
from parent colony and place
In center of CELL STARTER

20. Miller Method
Cell Starter nuc will
make queen cells
Cut out queen cells
after 10 days and
transfer one to each
MATING NUC
Check Mating Nucs in
2-3 weeks for eggs—a
sign the queen
successfully mated
and is now laying

22. Review
You will probably want more hives in spring
You can buy, catch, or raise bees for these
new hives
Raising a few queens doesn't have to be
hard

24. Presentations on slideshare:
slideshare.net/rickbledsoe16