splits and our strange harvest year

[tillie]

We have had so much rain (today they declared that Georgia is no longer in a drought) that my bees have not made much honey and our flow is over. I have a full super on each of three hives and about 3 supers to harvest.

I want to follow the Kim Flottum/Ross Conrad and others' suggestion that splitting in the summer after the flow is a great way to increase your beeyard and interrupt the brood cycle thus thwarting varroa. 

If I do that should I not harvest and save those few supers to use to feed the splits?

I'd like to make two splits from my two strongest hives in July. 

How should the above plan affect my harvest thoughts?

Linda T in Atlanta

[sc-bee]

Eager to hear these answers.

I too would like to do a few splits ---- Increase Essentials, Larry Connor.

We too have had more rain than needed and the bees were late building up. I will get about 5 supers this year from the same amount of hives I got 15 from last year.

I would be interested in hearing split info. All I read seems to be geared around areas with fall flows. I am not sure the methods of increase or varroa splits will work in our areas of dearth. We usually get little to no fall flow at all.(Not sure what you get in Hotlanta tille-- but probably similar).

My plan at this point is to do splits with two-three frames of brood, one honey pollen frame, and a foundation frame(s). Feed heavy with syrup (probably open feed in hopes of encouraging drawning frames?) and dry feed pollen.

Help us out guys waiting to hear replies.

[Scadsobees]

How is georgia different?  Usually the rain PRECEDES the nectar flow...I would think if you have moisture and sunshine yet that there will still be something out there blooming.  At least thats how it works here in michigan.

[tillie]

Our nectar flow in Georgia is timed to the tulip poplar bloom.  In a perfect world, I guess the rain precedes the flow but most flows are based on the spring bloom of nectar producing flowers, not the rain.

The tulip poplar blooms from the middle/end of April until the end of May so we at best have a 6 week nectar flow.  This year it poured rain almost daily throughout the nectar flow, with heavy winds, blowing the tulip poplar blooms to the ground and making it impossible for the bees to fly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To quote Cindy Bee, a master beekeeper in Georgia:

"The nectar flow in the Piedmont region of Georgia is pretty much over.  Although we still have
plenty of clover blooming (and you may even see your bees on the blossoms) the nectar is nearly
dried up in them.

We had a very diminished nectar flow in general due to the beating that the tulip poplar flowers
took in all the rain and wind we incurred this springtime.

On a brighter note, the privet hedge produced a good bit of nectar this year. 
Many folks don't appreciate the taste of privet hedge honey, but if the nectar is
mixed with any other sources it's usually pretty good.  In addition, this honey will mellow
out somewhat if let "rest" after it's extracted.

If you're disappointed in your honey crop this year there's always the hope of sour wood
honey if you can get your hives up to higher altitudes where the sour wood trees are plentiful.

Otherwise, there's a small flow in the fall (mostly aster and goldenrod).  This is darker
honey and much better for you as it contains more anti-oxidants.  But it's also a lot
stronger in taste.  Don't depend upon this flow to boost your hives that may be struggling. 
It's generally not a plentiful flow and not one from which we harvest.

In regard to the fall nectar flow be aware that your bee yard will smell very unique.  Don't
panic, you're not smelling foul brood.  The nectar may smell like dirty socks or sour milk. 
The bees know what they're doing.  It's good honey, it just smells a bit strange.

So that's a word about the spring of 2009's nectar flow for the Piedmont.  Hope you all
were diligent and got your supers on for the small window of opportunity we did have.

Best,  Cindy Bee
Master Beekeeper"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I'll be harvesting only about 1/3 what I did last year, if that, in order to leave enough honey
on the hives for the bees.

That's why I am worrying about how to support splits - we have a next-to-nothing fall flow - usually
we get no honey from that - and we had a next-to-nothing spring flow.

Linda T with concerns about mid summer splits still wondering?

[Bennettoid]

I would be prepared to feed, feed, feed, and you should be fine. I'm thinking about doing a couple splits this summer as well.

[Rebel Rose Apiary]

Here in Illinois we also had the constant rain and high winds....anything blooming was knocked to the ground and lost....I had to feed when there should have been a great spring flow. There has also been cooler than normal temps and we suffered a late frost that took the orchard bloom.

I delayed doing any splits this year, because of the weather and loss of pollen/nectar. I am not sure what you have for a fall flow, but I have tried splits in early fall when there was lots of sunflower and goldenrod. Those late splits did very well. I also offered sugar water to the splits, which helped a lot.

Brenda

[TwT]

got my top feeders ready and going to pull honey this weekend, pull what honey you have and add feeders and feed away, I am raising queens and have to feed the hives so I plan to feed till they get full and my new hives I raise are going good, like finman (finsky) always said sugar is cheaper than honey by a long ways...

[tillie]

Thanks for the encouragement, Twt - I'll harvest next weekend and then split and feed and hope for the best. 

So what I'll do is take the normal amount of honey from each hive, leaving them with a deep and a medium *on the one hive with a deep, and three mediums on the all medium hives. 

Then I'll make two splits from my two strongest hives and feed sugar syrup to the two new split hives like mad - I think that's what you mean.

Linda T in Atlanta

[TwT]

one thing, if you aren't going to buy a queen it is best to be feeding the hive at lest a week before you split it, this way all you hatched larva are feed well, but it is better to get a mated queen. goodluck