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Author Topic: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?  (Read 12372 times)

Offline Dr/B

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Hi all.  I'm new to this forum.  It looks great!

I'm growing my bee yard right now, and not really concerned with honey production for harvest.  I started with 22 hives this past March.  Split out EVERY hive I had, some even 3 & 4 times (i.e. about 6 of my stronger hives even yielded 2-4 nucs each).........anyway now I'm up to 63 hives as of today.  I plan to grow about 100 queens this summer....some for any poor performer queens.....and others for splitting off even more nucs from these current 63 hives.  These are very strong hives.  I practice several of the usual "strengthening" beekeeping techniques to sure up any weak hives.  .........check my hive at least every 2 weeks.........swap positions with my weaker hives and stronger hives to provide more bees.....rotate upper/bottom brood boxes to stimulate brood rearing......etc.

GOAL = 100 hives by fall.......still I want strong hives, and don't want to risk losing any by pulling them down too much and over-stressing them just prior to winter.

Anyone care to give me some advise on how late I can continue to make these splits, and still have them survive the winter?  I've got PLENTY of white sugar for feeding during the winter months, so the feeding issue is not a problem.  Like I said, I want the MAXIMUM # of hives from my yard this year, and will be providing queens for each nuc as I make the split.

Any response is appreciated.



Thanks


Steve

Offline abejaruco

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2007, 01:57:42 am »
Not only sugar (syrup) is the food of the bee. Pollen is necessary, substitutes are not pollen at all.
On the other hand, what about your weather, too much hot with a dearth, can be worst than the cold.

Finally, they are animals, not machines if you need more time to get your number 100 don´t worry, tranquilo, be happy :)

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2007, 02:12:23 am »
I've split as late as labor day, knocked a 3 box hive into 2 2boxes.  I had to feed a bit but both splits survived the winter.  If you are into number only and not concerned withhoney production on the short term you can split a hive every 4-6 weeks through the late spring and summer.  Splitting 1 into 8.
The more agressive you are in making splits the more agressive you have to be in finding out yards.  Most yards will not support more than 30 hives unless it is for pollination and then you have pallets of bees spread all over. 
Also, the more agressive you are the more likely you'll have to feed the later splits before winter.
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Offline pdmattox

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2007, 10:20:43 am »
Wow, that is almost like looking in a mirror with that post. :)  How far south is deep south? Here in my  part of Florida I made splits in oct and nov and started again in jan. All is sounding good though.

Offline TwT

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2007, 11:28:53 am »
I will split and graft until september, just if there is no flow going I feed to help them build up for winter, we sometimes get a good fall flow and that helps.

Wow, that is almost like looking in a mirror with that post. :)  How far south is deep south? Here in my  part of Florida I made splits in oct and nov and started again in jan. All is sounding good though.

wish I could start in Jan. most times it is march when I get started and then we get a cold snap that knocks them back, always happens ;)
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Offline Ross

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2007, 12:41:55 pm »
We have a strong fall flow and can split and make queens until the 1st of Nov.
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Offline Dr/B

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2007, 04:11:23 pm »
Thanks for the replys.

I'm in South Central Miss.  Right now I'm just getting my hive numbers up, while at the same I'm building a honey house, getting more equipment, converting a hand-turning extractor to motorized, buying jars locally and stocking up, and suring up a few local accounts to help move my honey next year..............getting prepared for what will hopefully be a big honey harvest next year.

I've got a total of 3 bee yards, but right now all my hives are in one yard.  I use the other two yards to split back and forth from.  Next spring's splits will go in the other yards.  I know a few guys that have about 300 hives in one yard, and make barrels of honey.  I would guess it strongly depends on the local agriculture / flora for that particular area.

I'm considering splitting all the way up to the fall honey flow, which around here starts in September.


Steve

Offline TwT

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2007, 04:25:13 pm »
what part of mississippi? I am going to move to some land we own there within about 5-10 years, its in Pike County just outside of Sumit about 9 mile from I-55. 
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Offline Dr/B

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2007, 11:15:07 pm »
Good o'le Simpson County...........'bout 1 hr south of Jackson.

Offline bluegrass

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2007, 08:04:36 am »
Sounds to me like you have the spliting timeframe down pat for your area. If your goal is 100 hives why not just split what you have now in half in time for the fall flow and overwinter them that way. Then next spring you will beable to pull a nuc off of each one for the 09 season and put your 100+ hives into honey production for the 08 season.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How 'bout some advise--------->How late can I safely split?
« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2007, 01:53:47 pm »
There is no definitive answer.  One split will take off like a rocket and another will languish for months.  You can always recombine.

It also depends on the method you pick.  An even split with a queen installed can be done later than a five frame walk away where they are making their own queen.  Making their own queen costs them almost a month.

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