Subject: Starting a Second Hive

From: Nate Saal <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 14:13:46 -0700

I have one hive that is now a year old and doing very well.  I would 
like to start up a second hive this summer to get it up and running for 
next year.

I could order a package of bees (I know it's a little late now) or use 
the first hive to start the second.  Does anybody have information about 
starting a second hive using brood frames from an existing hive?  Or 
experience as to which technique is "better".  The existing hive has 
two, deep brood chambers.  I would like to do this without decreasing 
the honey production from the first hive by pulling frames of brood.

I live in the California Bay Area which has long warm summers and mild 
winters, so I'm hoping that I could start the hive later this season.

Any advice would be appreciated.

nate

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From: [email-masked] (Craig Gammon)
Date: 27 Apr 1996 16:35:34 GMT

Nate:

	I'm a beekeeper in British Columbia.  What I would do is a 
split.

	First order a mated and tested queen.  Maybe you know someone 
in your area that raises queens.  When ordering her, precisely 
determine when you expect her to arrive at your home.

	Now, knowing when the queen is to arrive, backdate nine 
calendar days.  Say, the queen is schedule to arrive May 10, backdate 
to May 1.  On that day, place a queen excluder between the two brood 
boxes of your single hive.

	On May 9, go to your hive with a new bottom board and top.  
Take the top box off the main hive and set it on the new bottom.  
Remove the queen excluder.  Visually determine (1) which hive has the 
GREATER NUMBER of bees, and (2), which box has UNSEALED BROOD.  The box 
with the GREATER NUMBER of bees should be moved at least three miles 
away to prevent drifting and kept away from the original hive for at 
least six weeks.  The box with UNSEALED BROOD has the original queen 
and should require no further work, insofar as splitting is concerned.

	The next day, when the new queen arrives, introduce her to the 
QUEENLESS colony.  Three or four days later, she should be out of her 
cage.  A week later, you should see unsealed brood in the frames.

	There, you've done a split.  It's much easier than nucing ... 
on you and on the bees.

	One final thing.  Add a new second storey brood box to each 
colony when the bottom box is 90% full of stores. This is a visual 
judgement call to avoid swarming.

Craig G.

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From: "Victor C. Rimkus" <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Apr 1996 14:17:24 GMT

If you ask three beekeepers you will get four or five answers. I, of 
course, do my divides differently.

On the day before the new queen arrives I make the split. This is made up 
of two frames of honey and three frames of brood with clinging bees. Place 
the brood frames between the honey frames and fill in the rest with frames 
of foundation. You must be able to find the queen in the old hive and 
leave her in the old hive. The new hive can be set up nearby but not next 
to the old hive. The brood in the old hive must be moved together so that 
a gap is not left in the brood nest.The empty spaces at the sides can be 
filled with frames of foundation.

On the new colony, feed, feed, feed. Also be sure to use an entrance 
reducer until the new colony has built up enough to protect itself. I do 
my splits in the afternoon and use a fair amount of smoke in order to get 
the bees to cling to the comb. At the new location the young nurse bees 
and hatching brood will stay with the new hive. The old field bees may 
drift back to the old location and that is OK.

Before installing the new queen in the new hive, look at the brood frames 
to make sure the old queen did not get moved into the new hive. Of course 
this assumes you can spot a queen.

Other methods work well too, but this is my favorite. One key thing is to 
have enough bees in the new hive that they can keep the brood warm and 
build up quickly.

May the best of luck bee with you,

Victor in Albuquerque, [email-masked]