Vertical Split

[billdean]

Well, out of 4 hives I managed to find the queen on just one. I guess I could of done worse! That particular hive I tried for the first time to do a vertical split. Of corse after I got all done I kept questioning weather I done it right. Heres what i did and what concerns me. First I separated the queen into a nuc to keep her confined until I rearranged the hives. I found all the capped brood and put them into 2 medium boxes with the queen, 2 frames of honey and a frame of pollen. This will be my top hive above the split board. Next I put all the eggs, young larva, some honey into the bottom 2 medium boxes below the split board for them to make a new queen. Original entrance kept open on bottom. Faced top boxes opposite direction and open entrance.

Problem as I see it.
    I probably should not have put all of the capped brood in the top box. I should of added new foundation sheets and not so many fully drawn out capped brood frames. I could of got a lot more frames drawn out. The queen will have a place to lay very soon because some were emerging while I was splitting it up, but the transfer of bee from one box to another could have been greater had I left more capped brood with the original hive. Is this much of a problem? What could I have done differently to make a better vertical split? I have 2 more hives to do when I find the queens!

[gww]

I did mine a little differrent.  I just did a teronov split.  I moved no brood up with the young bees and don't know if the queen is there or not for a couple of more days.  If you can stand it you can add some frames for them to draw.  The reason I posted is not cause I know anything but more to suggest that you feed your top part of your split which will have your young bees in it.  If they have all that brood and no foragers, they probly really need it.
Good luck
gww

[billdean]

I did mine a little differrent.  I just did a teronov split.  I moved no brood up with the young bees and don't know if the queen is there or not for a couple of more days.  If you can stand it you can add some frames for them to draw.  The reason I posted is not cause I know anything but more to suggest that you feed your top part of your split which will have your young bees in it.  If they have all that brood and no foragers, they probly really need it.
Good luck
gww

Thanks.. I may not of made it clear but the top box with the queen has all the capped brood and the bees that were on the frames. The bottom box has all the eggs and open brood and all the bees that were on the frames. I did feed the queen right hive above the split board. Of course all the forgers will be returning to the queen-less side of the hive below the split board keeping the eggs and open brood well nourished.

[gww]

Yes, I understand and that is what I was worried about, the hive with no foragers needing feed.  I could read better and I may have got what you were doing the first time around.

I did not even put a frame of brood which would allow them to make a queen just in case plus I could have stolen a few cells from a differrent hive just in case.  I will just combine if it goes bad.  this hive was starting queen cups. 

Your hive is so much bigger from the sound of it.  I am going to check the queen on the young be hive probly around friday.  I have one other hive I split also but did not stack them.  I am new and playing it by ear.  I will check those in may. 

I have my fingers crossed for you and me.  I will watch here and on BS for your update in a couple of weeks. I did read the link of what you are trying that you posted on the other site.

Wishing you luck
gww

[fatshark]

You can turn the entire hive around after 7 days to bleed off flying bees from the box that has now reared a new queen cell and, in turn, strengthen the queenright half of the split. Doing this ensures there's lots of bees there to feed the developing queen, but not so many that they throw off a swarm when the Q emerges ...
http://theapiarist.org/vertical-splits-making-increase/
http://theapiarist.org/upstairs-downstairs/

[billdean]

You can turn the entire hive around after 7 days to bleed off flying bees from the box that has now reared a new queen cell and, in turn, strengthen the queenright half of the split. Doing this ensures there's lots of bees there to feed the developing queen, but not so many that they throw off a swarm when the Q emerges ...
http://theapiarist.org/vertical-splits-making-increase/
http://theapiarist.org/upstairs-downstairs/

Thank Fatshark....... your links above are how I decided to do my vertical split. There are a lot of people that seem to think I am doing it backwards. Or at least thats not they way they would do it. 

[fatshark]

The splits in those links describe ways of swarm control or making increase that separates the Q and only a small amount of brood off into one box, leaving the remainder in the other to rear a new Q. The idea is that the queenless part is packed initially with young bees to rear the new queen, and then a week later these are bled off back to the Q+ side.

It's like a cut-down Snelgrove without all of those doors