Making Splits in July

[mat299]

Ok, i have four hives this year all of them are in two deep brood boxes now.  I am interested in making splits and doubling the amount of hives i have.  My question is, would it be ok to go ahead and do it now or should i wait until spring to do it?  Regardless of when i do it, should i go ahead and add a second deep on top of the new splits and feed so that the bees can start building out the second supers?

[Larry Bees]

I am probably not qualified to answer this, but I think that I would make them up now. Last year I made a couple up in September. Larry

[mat299]

What about adding the second deep super now also and feeding?

[AllenF]

Split the double deeps into singles.   If you are buying queens, you will have to find your 2 that you have, or use excluders to find which of the 2 boxes she is laying in.   If you are not buying queens, make sure you have eggs or day old larvae in each box so they can make 2 new queens for you.    Feed now, but you have to reduce the entrance to keep the robbing down.   Now is the time of the year you will loose a hive to robbing.   They need the food to make queens since there is nothing blooming out except sourwood if you got some rain.

[mat299]

Thanks Allen.  Do you think i should go ahead and add the second deep to each of the new hives as well?

[mat299]

Or is it better to just keep the bees in single deeps in our area?

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[Wolfer]

I would add the second deep if they needed it but not if they don't. The boxes that have to make a queen probably won't need one this winter but they will need one early in the spring. I personally only want a second box if they can fill it full by winter. Your chances are better in GA. than here in MO.
Last year I started a nuc in August I think, got them in a full size box full of sugar by winter. Added a box in early spring, started a nuc from them when the blackberries bloomed, started another when I moved that one in a full sized box, started another two weeks ago and have taken 60-80 lbs of honey so far. I didn't think that was too bad for cow pasture country. The top deep still weighs 80 lb or so.

[AllenF]

If you have 10 frames drawn out, then yes, I would add that second box. 

[mat299]

What would be the latest this year that i should attempt to do the splits?

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[Wolfer]

I'm in mo and I would be comfortable splitting a hive with a box full of drawn comb, stores, etc as late as drones were flying. And that only as long as I was letting them raise their own queen( actually drones would have to be flying 30 days after you split ) If you were buying a queen I wouldn't know why you couldn't split anytime you can buy a queen and the bees haven't went into their winter cluster.

I'll more than likely start my last nuc of the year before the first of August. I'll do it with 6 frames of bees, let them raise their own queen, feed the tar out of them and have them in a full size box by winter.
If all goes well, if not I'm not out anything.