Just got back from EAS. Got to hear many good speakers, including Mike Palmer, about the importance of making splits in summer to recover your losses.
I've had a wicked summer. I lost about 8 hives (of 13) due to robbing and absconding. Robbing was due to my poor management practices, which I'm working on. Absconding was likely due to a combination of the heat and robbing. I'm solving the heat with screened bottom boards and upper entrances.
Goldenrod is about to start.
I can't decide if I should take my lumps and prepare my 5 remaining hives for winter, or if I should break them up into nucs, have them build up on the fall flow, and attempt to recover some of my losses. I already have two queens in mating nucs waiting for something to do. I could just re-queen my worst two hives though.
I donno, just looking for a second opinion. I don't want to split and lose the hives I have already. What would you do?