re: is it too late to split a hive?

[p51d]

Thinking of splitting a hive or two, adding a queen (italian) for next year. Is it too late in the season????

Comments are appreciated

[Jacobs]

I would not split hives now, even with a mated queen. I am beginning to think about over wintering bees and wanting strong populations to work with late summer and into fall. I'm considering pinching some of my poorer performing queens and combining some of my hives. Kurt Bower always told us to take losses in the fall--getting through winter with one strong hive and splitting in the spring is better than losing two weaker hives in late winter/early spring.

[p51d]

Makes sense to me Jacob. I have a weak hive I doubt will make it through the winter. The other hives I am actively working for the winter.

Usually I end up buying a couple of packages in the Spring to try to allow the existing hives to build for the honey flow. Too many losses, so three of us started beekeeping 7 years ago. I am the last of the three.

[Jacobs]

Instead of buying packages, consider making some nucs next spring. For the last few years, once there are plenty of drones flying, I have been locating queens from some of my stronger hives and moving them into nucs with a few frames of bees, a honey frame, and an open-drawn frame. The strong hive gets a period of brood interruption (varroa mite ipm), it remains strong, and foragers bring back nectar which is made into honey rather than fed to new brood. If the large hive requeens, I have the daughter of a good queen running that show. If they do not requeen on the first attempt, I can give them a frame of the mother's eggs to try again and do not lose those genetics. It may also slow the swarming urge of a strong hive coming into spring.