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Author Topic: Splitting native bees  (Read 6201 times)

Offline Culley

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Splitting native bees
« on: January 10, 2015, 11:31:54 pm »
I have a native bee hive that a friend gave me about a year ago. We have pollen and nectar coming in here and I reckon it is a good time to split it.

Pretty sure it is the OATH design hive.

Question is, when I separate the halves, do I turn the top half upside down to be a bottom box?

Online BeeMaster2

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2015, 08:19:12 am »
Cullet,
I'm not experienced with native bees but if you turn the frames upside down, the bees will not use them a second time.
Bees make the cells with a 15% up angle.
This holds the nectar in until it is dried and the pollen balls in until packed in.
I don't think they will use it for brood either, probably because they cannot store food around it.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline kanga

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2015, 10:42:53 am »
Cullet,
I'm not experienced with native bees but if you turn the frames upside down, the bees will not use them a second time.
Bees make the cells with a 15% up angle.
This holds the nectar in until it is dried and the pollen balls in until packed in.
I don't think they will use it for brood either, probably because they cannot store food around it.
Jim

Jim our Australian Native Stingless Bee has a different setup then the european honey bee.
There is no frames at all and their home is round and the normal way of splitting is to actually cut the hive literally in half.


Culley, there is another method as explained in the following link
http://www.aussiebee.com.au/abol-003.html

Kevin

Offline Culley

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2015, 07:47:13 pm »
Thanks Kanga,

The method in the link looks good. Less stress on the hive. More reliable. Have you tried either method?

Culley

Offline kanga

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2015, 05:06:59 am »
I have been to a couple of workshops to learn more about the native stingless bee and have seen hives being split, but I am yet to get one of my own.

One of the workshops was conducted by Tim Heard who adds an additional smaller box on top where he then crushes the contents and collects the sugarbag  honey. The bees only store pollen and honey in this box and no brood.

Kevin

Offline Chiefman

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2015, 03:13:52 am »
I am itching to find out how this is done

Stingless Bee Hive
Propagation Service

http://www.aussiebee.com.au/propagate-stingless-bees.html

Apparently he splits the hive in 4 weeks without opening the box
-= The Urban Beekeeper =-

Offline Culley

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2015, 01:56:13 am »
Chiefman, check out Kanga's link - it might be the same thing.

Offline Chiefman

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2015, 06:15:01 am »
Possibly the same thing. That method Kanga mentions is the Eduction method. He uses the Engender Technique which takes only 4 to 6 weeks as opposed to a few months months.

Watch this series by Tim Heard on Splitting hives its really well presented
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz3YsEDEQOM

Here is a Eduction method
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=busP61xfoGo

I want some Native bees in my backyard but I don't really want to spend about $300 on an established hive. I hope there is someone nearby in Sydney that is willing to do a split or and eduction
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Offline weedyau

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2015, 06:48:55 am »
Hi,
No do not turn the box upside down ever!! Tilt the box up at 45 degrees to view but don't invert.

When splitting I put hive being split next to the new bottom box. I lift the top box off the established hived and place it  on the new bottom box, and add a new top box to the first hive.

Don't stress if the brood doesn't split evenly. Just use a knife and even things up. Just keep brood the same way up.

There are lots of good uTube videos showing this.

I've never lost a hive doing splits. Cold and heat extremes are another story.

Offline Culley

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2015, 02:10:38 am »
Thanks weedyau, that's what I wanted to know.

So the top box goes on top of an empty bottom box...

Offline poited

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #10 on: March 10, 2015, 07:40:21 am »
I tell you what Chiefman if you can get some hives for $300 go for it. They are quite fashionable at the moment and are going for around the $450 range. Every man and his dog wants one for their garden, or restaurants want them for their customers to feel good because they are using local produce for their meals (I dont know how because their yield is far too small to use commercially). All I can say in the next few years theres going to be a heap of cheap and neglected hives for sale.

Offline Australian Beekeeper

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2015, 07:25:57 pm »
As said above the top box goes on top of a new empty bottom. Most keepers (myself included) use split/anti slump bars in the top box to stop the structure slumping down and possibly causing issues. If your top box doesn't have them then be more careful than usual to place the box where it will only get morning sun.

Offline Richard M

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2015, 10:15:47 pm »
I tell you what Chiefman if you can get some hives for $300 go for it. They are quite fashionable at the moment and are going for around the $450 range. Every man and his dog wants one for their garden, or restaurants want them for their customers to feel good because they are using local produce for their meals (I dont know how because their yield is far too small to use commercially). All I can say in the next few years theres going to be a heap of cheap and neglected hives for sale.

You have to wonder "what's the point?"

Offline Australian Beekeeper

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2015, 10:38:13 pm »
Pollination and general interest :) In terms of pollination there are a few crops that they are brilliant for (macadamia is a well known example).

You can get about 1kg a year of honey so not worth it in that respect but the honey is delicious and very different to Apis honey.

Offline Richard M

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Re: Splitting native bees
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2015, 11:25:27 pm »
Pollination and general interest :) In terms of pollination there are a few crops that they are brilliant for (macadamia is a well known example).

You can get about 1kg a year of honey so not worth it in that respect but the honey is delicious and very different to Apis honey.

Yeah, no different to fishing really. You do it because you enjoy it - hard to justify it on a cost-benefit basis though - fishing gear, boat, time etc is 10 times the value of the fish you catch. (Well it is for me anyway).