Unless you are planning something exponential, there's no need to buy more bees as you grow your apiary. Splitting the colonies you have will make them easier to manage throughout the summer, while boosting your apiary!
*This blog is based off of a video series I made last spring when I first decided to play around with Youtube. If you are interested in more content like this, consider joining my HIVE subscription group.
The process that I demonstrate here is how we make most of our splits for the nucs that we sell. This method requires you to either find the queen OR shake all of the bees down into the bottom box. It takes place over three days, so each video takes place on a different day.
On day 3, we add a mated queen. If you want your bees to raise their own queen, just skip day 3, but make sure that there are some eggs (not larvae - they must be eggs!) in the nuc. If you do not add a queen, you will want to allow a full month for the nuc to raise themselves a new queen.
Day 1: Preparing the Split
Day 2: Taking the Split Off
Day 3: Installing a Queen
Are you planning to make some splits this spring? Let me know in the comments what your plans are for apiary expansion!
Looking for more?
Looking for more beekeeping education? You can find my virtual, on-demand beginner and intermediate courses at https://courses.rushingriverapiaries.com
Or if you'd prefer a more tailored experience, you can join my mentorship group at https://www.patreon.com/thehivementorship
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