I'm in the Spring months, and at the beginning of Spring, purchased a Queen and 5kg bees in a package for two hives. When they were both at 8 top bars, I sent one hive to my Dad's place an hour west of sydney. His hive is at 12 bars, and mine is at 14 bars and a little busier (lots of Jacaranda trees flowering at my place but not yet flowering out west).
When is a good time to split a TBH? I am building another TBH for my Dad this week as he has identified a new feral hive (smaller, black bees) that we hope to cut out. I am left wondering if I should build 2, and split my hive. They seem to be going quite strong, and are more than twice the strength they were 4 weeks ago.
Should I leave them to do their thing for longer, or should I split them? In two weeks, they completely filled 2 empty bars I put in the brood area and the queen is laying very well, with a good mix of larvae sizes and young / old workers. There is 3 fingers of capped honey on most bars above the brood, but most of the pollen is near the entrance bar.