If your honeybee colony survived the winter, congratulations! You’re off to a strong start this season. By now, you’ve likely completed your first hive inspections, tested for mite levels, and noticed your bees returning with loads of pollen and nectar. These are all signs that your spring beekeeping journey is well underway. As your colony grows and begins filling the frames with eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen, nectar, and possibly even capped honey, you might find yourself asking: what’s next?
One option is to add an empty box of frames on top of your existing hive to create more space for population growth. Alternatively, you could split your colony into two. Splitting is a fantastic way to:
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Replace a hive lost over the winter.
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Manage colony size to ensure it remains manageable.
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Prevent potential swarming.
When you split a colony, one hive will retain the original queen while the other will be queenless. Before you begin, it’s important to consider your approach to providing the queen for the new colony. Will you purchase a mated queen from a supplier, or are you planning to raise your own homegrown queen?
Purchasing a Queen from a Supplier
If you decide to purchase a mated queen, reach out to your supplier as soon as possible to secure a pickup date. Plan your split around that date to ensure a smooth transition for the new colony.
Raising Your Own Queen
If you’re raising your own queen, there’s one critical question to ask: is there a large enough drone (male honeybee) population in your area to ensure successful mating? Here’s how to determine this:
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Check your hive for drones. A healthy hive with plenty of drones is a good indicator that neighboring hives are experiencing similar population growth.
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Time your split to coincide with ample drone populations to increase the odds of producing a strong, well-mated queen.
How to Split a Colony
Once you’ve made your preparations, you’re ready to split your colony. While there are several methods, here’s one straightforward approach:
Transfer Brood Frames: Move a few brood frames to the new hive. Include:
- One frame of eggs (so the bees can raise a new queen).
- At least two frames of larvae and capped brood (to provide population growth in the new colony).
Keep the Bees: Transfer all the bees on these frames. While older bees may return to the original hive, nurse bees will stay to care for the brood and raise the new queen.
Add Food Stores: Ensure the new colony has enough resources by including frames of pollen and nectar.
Balance Bee Populations: If the new hive seems low on bees, transfer additional nurse bees from the original colony.
Locate the Original Queen: Before transferring frames, inspect each one carefully to ensure the original queen remains in the parent colony.
Monitor Queen Development: After the split, nurse bees will start raising a new queen. Inspect the hive in about a week. Look for an elongated, oval-shaped queen cell—a promising sign that your new queen is on her way.
By following these steps, you’ll set both hives up for success. Whether you’re creating a backup colony, replacing winter losses, or managing hive sizes, splitting your colony is a rewarding and essential skill for every beekeeper.
Happy beekeeping!