This is the story of my first split. It’s long, I know most won't read it, but I hope it will amuse some of the older guys and might act as a cautionary tale for other newbees.
Inspired by TwoHoneys successful hive split, I finally carved out time on Sunday to attempt mine. We had left a lot of honey in HNO (my big hive) so it consisted of 2 deeps packed with bees, pollen some honey and some brood, 1 medium of brood (I could never get her to move down)and 1 medium of about 30% full honey frames, and the rest foundation. I geared up, got my tools and my plan and headed out! I was gonna split a hive!
First I checked on the Mississippi Queens. They are doing well and have filled a deep and a medium and have finally started pulling the next medium. I saw brood and beautiful new eggs sitting in the very center bottom of the cells and various stages of larva. The flow has slowed here, but I haven’t been feeding them; they seem to have adequate stores with several full frames of honey. They were calm and seem to be doing well. I added a few of the drawn frames we got from harvest, replacing empty frames and let them be. Saw 2 hive beetles being chased down but that was about it. They look healthy, with pretty wings and they seem to have gentled a bit, as long as I am very slow and calm. Looking good, MQH!
Then I moved to HNO. I pulled off the top medium and looked at a few frames. They have capped all of the partially capped frames we left from harvest and were festooning on the empty ones starting some really pretty foundationless comb. They seem to still be bringing in nectar from somewhere. They did have one piece of comb going at 90 degrees to the rest across a couple of empty frames, (weird) which I promptly cut out. Then I set the box aside and moved to the next (broody) medium. So far so good. I’m feeling very beekeeperish and zen-like!
I began pulling the frames from the broody medium and find honey, some capped brood and a frame with about 4-6 queen-cups on it. I can’t see into the cups, but I did see a couple of bees sticking their head in and out of one. Next frame, there she is! Big and pretty in the center of a circle of bees. Cool! Now I know where she is. I put the frame back in the box, along with the others and set it aside. Then I turn to the 2 deeps.
About this time I notice that the air is getting filled with more bees. Hmmmm, well, they’re just flying, no worries. I start looking in the next deep. LOTS of pollen. A little capped brood. Can’t really see any eggs, but the stores seem good. OW! Ok. I got popped. No biggie, I run wash it off and dab some almond lotion on my hands. Little jittery, but a big breath and back into the breach! I’m a beekeeper after all. One little sting isn’t going to daunt me!
By this time, the bees are pretty upset. Ok, very upset. My zen-like, beekeeperish feeling is getting a little shaky. I set the deep in its new position, 6 inches from the old hive facing the side. Then I realize, I need to find a frame with eggs to make sure I leave it in the old hive. Back to the broody medium. OW! Holy crap! (insert your favorite expletive here, because I’m sure I used them all.) These bees are now angry. One popped me on my pinky, and I-kid-you-not, it drew blood! Seriously! A pinprick of blood! That one made me walk away for a bit, followed by bees that are, let’s face it, ATTACKING me.
My zen-like feeling has completely fled, I am now in OMG panic mode! I look back at my hive and the whole thing is torn apart and the bees are in a cloud around it. Oh bleep. Ok. Deeeeep breath. I ran and got my garden gloves. Deeeeeeper breath. I have to at least put them back together and I’m going to finish this, damnit!
So. Back into the breach. By this time my concentration is gone and I just want to get them stacked. The bees are loud and angry and trying vigorously to GET-THROUGH-THAT-VEIL and to the EVIL-BEEKEEPER! This is the point where I stop feeling like a beekeeper. My Zen-like Feeling has packed her bags and moved to the next state, looking over her shoulder with wide eyes at the crazy lady she just abandoned.
I find the frame with the queen cups again, peer at it long enough to convince myself that there are eggs in some of the cells (there was definitely very young larva) and put it in the first medium. Grab the broody medium (with the queen) and try to carefully slide it onto the deep in the “new” hive position. God willing the queen survived. I know a lot of her servants didn’t.
The bees are in serious attack mode now. Smoker!! Oh yeah! Smoke them! Heh, silly me, that will help. Iddee always says have your smoker. I made sure it was well packed and lit when I started. Of course! I turn to grab my smoker. A slight, tendril of grey wisps from its spout. Oh god. . I swoosh ashy clear air out at a few of the bees. Oh bleep! Why does it always go out when I need it?
Ok. Finish. You can’t leave it like this. (I think I actually thought about it for a second.) I grab the old deep and turn it 90 degrees, so the entrances of the 2 hives are facing each other. The bees are pelting my veil and generally SCREAMING at me. I put the first medium on top of it. I grab the last medium and put it on the new hive and put the top on it. Maybe that will keep some of them in. Nope, not helping. They are still angry. I put the empty medium of our extracted frames on the old hive. At least I think I did. At this point all I can think is “Close them up! Close them up!” So I can’t really remember which medium went where. I close them up. Finally. I shove a leafy branch in front of both entrances and light out for the house. A few bees give chase, but they give up pretty quickly. Thank GOD!
As I turn to look back, I realize I was supposed to move the original hive 6 inches away from its original location. I just turned it 90 degrees. The entrances are now 6 inches apart. Well, darn. I wonder what that will do. I ponder the cloud of bees still swarming around the 2 hives. There is no way I’m going back into that mess tonite. I will do it tomorrow after work.
So I spend Monday building myself back up. “It’s not that bad.” “It was your first time.” “You learned a few things.” “You can fix it tonite.” No problem. Monday night comes and I suit up (including garden gloves. Bud – you can call me a wimp, but I was taking NO chances!) I got a plan. I got the smoker going. I got gloves. I am ready. This will be simple. Just move them quick and they won’t even know it.
I set up my new cinder blocks. Get my piece of wood to give it a little slant all ready. Get them all leveled. I’ll just pull off the 2 top mediums and set them right there. Won’t even take the top off. Then slide the deep back, replace the mediums and voila! They won’t even hardly know I was there.
So I pull off the top two mediums. Good! Came off fine, and not too heavy for me. I set them aside. I move the deep back. The bees are a little upset now. They remember me. They are in the air and stinging my gloves pretty good. That’s cool. The gloves are working. Stay calm. Steady as she goes. I check to be sure the deep is level. Looking good. My confidence is returning, Zen-like Feeling takes a few tentative steps back. I can do this! I go to pick up the 2 mediums and as I swing it to slide it onto the deep, I knock the deep slightly out of alignment. Not bad, no cloud of bees, so I set the mediums down to straighten it again. Second try, same thing. darn it Liz, pick it up! What’s wrong with you? Go for the third try. Oh, that’s what was wrong. I was grabbing the top medium instead of the bottom medium. Third try and the bottom medium finally pulled away and – kerPLONK - fell off and hit the ground. Oh bleep. Air fills with mad bees. I put down the top medium and step away. I no longer feel that confidence. Zen-like Feeling picks her bags back up and turns around again, shaking her head as she leaves. I feel like crying.
Deeep Breath. Back into the breach! I get them back together- reminding myself that I was protected. The smoker worked this time and I copiously smoked them to try and get them off while I picked up the dropped medium. It only dropped about 18 inches and sort of slid down the side of the hive mostly. None of the frames came out or looked damaged. So I put it and the other back on. Got it all on and leveled. Put another branch in front of the entrance. Went in the house and poured a glass of wine. A big glass of wine.
That. Did. Not. Go. Well. Needless to say, I’m feeling like a pretty crappy beekeeper.
And now for my questions:
- 1. Will ya’ll allow me to remain a member given my proven inadequacies?
- 2. Have I doomed the bees? Do you think they will survive said inadequacies?
- 3. Michael Bush said in another thread that bees know they are queenless “In about 10 minutes most know. . . In two hours they all know. “ I’m worried that since the hives were so close for 24 hours they may have been confused or not known and I would lose some viable eggs in that timeframe (for queen making). Do you think the general disruption of the hive I created will prevent them from making a queen?
- 4. How long do you leave the hives facing each other? I pretty much want to leave them where they are, but rotate them back to facing east in the long run. How long should I wait to do this (assuming this endeavor is successful and/or they don’t all just leave.)
- 5. I feel like (and the bees probably pray that) I should leave them be for a bit. How long can I wait before needing to go back in and check on progress?
Ok, well, thanks for the read. I think I’ll go cry in my honey now. ;0)
love,
ziffa