Splitting and Queens

April 19, 2022

Spring is here and the bees are flying.  Being aware of the health and strength of a hive is important to the survival and productivity of your bees.  As more adult bees emerge and the hive population increases, so does the prospect of swarming.

If you’re a new beekeeper and you have a strong hive, splitting your hive is a necessity. Timing is everything, especially if you want to avoid swarming. Swarming happens when the hive feels that they need to grow but don’t have enough space for their population, or the queen is older and decreasing her pheromone levels throughout the hive. There are a few indicators: 

1. You have a thriving colony; frames are full and bees are bearding on the outside of the hive.
2. You see swarm cells which are generally found in the centre or near the bottom of the frames.

Now is the time to introduce a new queen before a virgin queen emerges and the hive swarms.  A split is just a controlled swarm that needs a fertile queen to become a functioning hive.

Check out our blog on imported and local queens for more information.

 

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