Splitting Colonies
Overview
A split is when a colony of bees is split into 2 (or 3 or more) separate colonies.
Reasons for Doing a Split
- To get more hives.
- To get more production.
- To get hives with lower numbers of bees per colony
- To (hopefully) prevent swarms.
Timing for Doing Splits
- Ensure you have access to the necessary number of queens (each split will need one)
- Ensure the split colonies will have time to re-build their new hive. Spring is thusly a great time to do this. Fall is not.
Considerations to Keep in Mind When for Doing Splits
Ensure that all of the resulting colonies:
- Have a queen or the resources to make a new queen
- Eggs
- Plenty of nurse bees
- Access to drones
- Have an adequate supply of honey and pollen to feed the brood and themselves.
Walk-Away Split or Traditional Split?
A walk-away split is when a colony is created from another colony, and no new queen is added to the new colony. The idea is that the bees in that colony will then create their own queen.
There is a risk that this may not be successful and the colony will die out. Also, there will certainly be ~3 weeks before this colony will be established and operational. The queen needs to be born (16 days), get impregnated (2+ days), get established in the hive (2+days), and begin laying eggs.
One More Thing
There will be some bees which drift back to the original hive. Plan for this, and ensure that the split outs have enough bees to thrive even when this happens.
How to Do a Split
You will need to find the queen, so you will know which colony has it, and which colony needs a new queen.
Split up the frames in the original hive as outlined below.
| Section | 1 → 2 Split | 1 → 3 Split | ||||
| Hive 1 | Hive 2 | Hive 1 | Hive 2 | Hive 3 | ||
| Brood chamber | Original Queen | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| New Queen | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Frames with worker brood | 50% | 50% | 33% | 33% | 33% | |
| Frames with drone brood | 50% | 50% | 33% | 33% | 33% | |
| Frames with food for the brood | 50% | 50% | 33% | 33% | 33% | |
| Honey super(s) | Frames with honey | 50% | 50% | 33% | 33% | 33% |
More Information
Web Sites
- How to do Splits, by Bush Bees
Presentations
- Making Colony Splits: An Inexact Procedure (YouTube video), by Dr. Jim Tew. Recorded 16 April 2014.
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Disclaimer: eMail comments to me at BeekeepingBoK @ Gmail.com. The process of beekeeping can cause injury or be a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken, including the wearing of appropriate protective equipment. |