spring requeening advice.

[fermentedhiker]

My hope is to do a split of my existing hive and providing a mated queen for the "other" half.  Since I'm also getting a package of Russians I thought I would provide them with a couple of frames of drawn comb w/brood to help them get started.  I was thinking of doing all the manipulations at the same time. ei taking a couple of frames from the existing hive and installing the package, then removing the existing queen and 8 frames into a new 8 frame hive(i'm giving 8 framers a try for comparison) at a different location.  Then providing a mated queen for the remaining half of my original hive at the original location.  My concern is the early date that I have to pick up the package(april 11th) from Warm Colors apiary in MA.  Obviously every year has different weather, so I'm asking for generalized recommendations.  Is this too early for my locale?

Thanks in advance.
FH

[Brian D. Bray]

My hope is to do a split of my existing hive and providing a mated queen for the "other" half.  Since I'm also getting a package of Russians I thought I would provide them with a couple of frames of drawn comb w/brood to help them get started.  I was thinking of doing all the manipulations at the same time. ei taking a couple of frames from the existing hive and installing the package, then removing the existing queen and 8 frames into a new 8 frame hive(i'm giving 8 framers a try for comparison) at a different location.  Then providing a mated queen for the remaining half of my original hive at the original location.  My concern is the early date that I have to pick up the package(april 11th) from Warm Colors apiary in MA.  Obviously every year has different weather, so I'm asking for generalized recommendations.  Is this too early for my locale?

Thanks in advance.
FH

One day is enough as long as you leave the moving of the one hive until evening.  Net it or plug the entrance with hardware cloth so the bees can still breathe.  since you want to do it all in one day then do your package release and split in the AM.  You want the bees to be without a queen for several hours at least before requeening so I'd wait and put the queen into the hive just prior to moving the other hive. 
 
Use the frames without stores for your package if possible as the original hive and split are going to need the existing stores. 
I'd put the old queen into the hive I planned on moving as this would more closely mimic a natural swarm.  Put some empty frames into the brood chambers on both splits.  The split will go a long ways on preventing another swarm but putting empty frames into the brood chamber will do even more as bees building comb in the brood chamber don't usually swarm.  Note Usually.

[fermentedhiker]

Thanks.  That's sort of what I planned.  The hope is that the mated queen will be shipped out the day I get the package which would leave the queenless portion of the split for a day or two to realize that the queen is gone.

[Zane]

What about the outside temp also? I think Brian was wanting that info too?(Like I am!!) I dont want to freeze my new splits. I imagine a 4-5 frame nuc box would be recommeneded to start them off to keep the heat in? just asing dont kow myself. :?

[Brian D. Bray]

What about the outside temp also? I think Brian was wanting that info too?(Like I am!!) I dont want to freeze my new splits. I imagine a 4-5 frame nuc box would be recommeneded to start them off to keep the heat in? just asing dont kow myself. :?

Temp isn't that much of threat to the splits, wet clusters are a death knell.  Bees can manage the temps in a 5 frame nuc even with a cluster of 1000 bees or less.

[Cossack]

It sounds like you are on the right track good luck.

Mike.

[fermentedhiker]

Thanks again for all the replies.  I'm picking up the package of russians on the 11th.  Will be doing the split of my existing hive that day, As mentioned  earlier in the post.  The package will get 7 frames of HSC, 1 frame of Peirco drone comb and a couple of drawn frames from the existing hive.  The new queen for the remainder of the split is one of Taber's russainxcarnie crosses and is being shipped on the 14th.  I'm planning on cutting out the emergency queen cells the day before the new queen arrives and any that may have been missed or newly created on the day of introduction.  Then in May the package of Caucasians arrive from Longcreek and gets a nearly identical setup to the Russians.  It will be interesting to see how they compare over the summer. 

FH