How to Split Honey Bee Colonies, Detailed Explanation in a Commercial Operation

[@popquizzz]

Yup, This one gets filed under: Ian's How To Steps to Successful Beekeeping

[@Makermook]

I have a hard time believing most commercial honey producers are as thoughtful about bee husbandry as you are.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Videoing makes the task twice as long for sure. Love the education you're giving us with the incite in your operation. Thanks Ian!!

[@LaraLovesBees]

Ian, that was a master class! Clearly explained your reasoning and the concept behind equalizing your apiary, time management and swarm control to utilize that spring buildup to your advantage. Nice!

[@SilverGorilla1776]

The work never stops and it MUST be done on time. Beautiful video and so well explained. This is how I make splits also. I learned it’s so much easier to introduce a mated queen or queen cell to young bees that are taking care of brood. I get pretty much 100% acceptance of mated queens using this method.

[@mountainspringbees]

Great explanation of how you manage your boxes!

[@matthewmccormick2417]

Best of luck IAN, May 31st looks like my last shakedown to single brood. After that it is all honey and building of comb on foundation for the girls here. monday will check and see how many Queens didnt come back and will let those nukes do walk away. will be interesting to see if i can make it to 500 hives next year with my hive MGT. this year will be 24 to over 100 ftw. Best of luck. You and the family stay safe pls. What you did i did late last week for last time. It is a great way to mgt splits and easy. This year DEFO is not like last year. The girls are fired up and did it early

[@polmacbradaigh9506]

Can't wait for next year to try someone your methods here in Ireland

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Great video Ian thanks for taking the time to share!

[@064prior]

Great to see how you make your splits, I have started doing what my Father did 50 years ago, believe it or not, I leave an old empty hive with old frames in the apiary, when I see lots of interest I know that there is a swarm about to happen [missed queen cells] and I have had swarms come into that otherwise would have gone.

[@ThatBeeMan]

That's a great explanation and example of this process. This is a great way to make splits etc!

[@mountainspringbees]

Great video! Love watching your stuff so much

[@ThatBeeMan]

@@mountainspringbees Thanks for watching!

[@mountainspringbees]

Haha I wondered where my comment went... oops

[@josephkuder]

like your entrance reducers that's what i use and anything else i can find when the need arises

[@estebanluiscanteros7880]

The breeding improved a lot 👍💪

[@framcesmoore]

This was great thanks I really enjoyed this video.

[@matthewpicard1942]

Hi Ian, when you pull the split off, you mentioned you give the original colony another box to lay in, do you also give another box to the split off hive as well?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Yes but after the queen starts laying

[@BeesBikinis]

Great question

[@leemarvinvalencia5120]

Great inspiration for me watching from the philippines

[@beebruns2023]

courage pour tout ce travail ,merci pour le partage

[@carlosrobado]

Hi Ian, How do you deal with all extra cells if they start to emerge...??? Carlos

[@Littlecanadianbeekeeper]

Hello Ian. Why did you not add a queen excluder on the last 2 hives when you added honey boxs?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Those last 2 hives did not yield a split, they go straight to the flow. I allow the queen full reign of 2 boxes for all of June before the summer flow. When I take my split or skim the brood from the others, they too get or keep that second box and excluders are taken out

[@mgcbesterclan925]

wow Nice explanation of your system THank you

[@armanpoloyan570]

Hello Mr. Ian,my question is what happens to the queen when you are shaking her from brood frame.Thanks

[@scottpierson7495]

IAN, thank you for all your info you share, at what point do you pull the queen excluder off? Just curious, as well you must be happy to see all the drone brood.

[@CoolhandLuke27]

Does using honey supers as a temporary brood hatching box have any downsides? I was always told to try not let your queen lay in your honey supers, as it darkens those nice white frames used for extraction.

[@markspc1]

Great video Ian. I am looking forward for the follow up on the splits; do you put matted queen, virgin queen, queen cell or just let the bees make their own queen cell. Thks.

[@colecrick7223]

If I am not concerned about honey and priority #1 is to get my numbers up how far would you push making splits having mated Queens ready to drop in? I feel like in Canada there are varying answers on this due to our shorter season.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Don’t push too hard or you will compromise the crop. During the split I try to hold at 4 frames of brood

[@bigt33welder]

How do you keep bears out of your hives?

[@RyanMcDonnough]

If the splits are sitting queenless for Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday, then are you concerned about them creating emergency cells and not accepting the installed cell/virgin? Or do you leave the split over an excluder until Monday when you drop cells?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

That virgin cell that I introduce will kill all emergency cells , as a virgin would

[@drewistheone1]

When you strengthen a hive or split or grow, are you adding more hives. (Example: the year you started with one hundred box of bees are you now at two hundred boxes?)

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

No, after sales and after my tough cull out, the nucs that I make this year will be used for next year’s sales and cull out

[@randallcarter-carterhillho2277]

Thank you!! Love your videos!!

[@leoncarpenter958]

I know you had some hives that you'd pulled back to requeen because they were weak. Apart from those do all of your hives get split or skimmed or are there some that are right in the middle that will grow without wanting to swarm?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Those single hives that I had shown at the end to which I boxed up, those were chives that did not receive any boost or yield any split,

[@texasfriendlybeekeepers8210]

Awesome Video!! is there a video that you show how to make the shaker tube? thanks

[@andredutoit5340]

Hi Ian, that first single you've opend looked a bit stronger than anticipated. Whould you ever skatter brood frames to make sure they don't swarm?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

On the later round we might pull from the stinger ones yet to help equalize the yards out. But no, I don’t break apart the brood nest. Causes stress

[@tritonewr4054]

Your almost two weeks early on the splits. Are you anticipating the flow to start earlier as well? Am asking because leaving your usual 4 frames of brood in the bottom to peak after the flow starts, last week of June. If the flow starts last week of June again, will your hive peak to soon?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Very good point. Yes you might be right, I might have the hives peak too soon, If needed I’ll have to pull them down again but for the most part I think I’m on target, canola being sewed right now

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

But... you are probably right lol

[@matthewsweeney2577]

That’s a tutorial! Thanks 👍

[@GenYGaming]

When you shake open brood or larvae you are not worried about kill them? or it is so small of a lose that it doesn't matter?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

No losses

[@GoneWildKennels]

Great info. Watching you from nw of cochrane

[@HivesToHome]

What is the timing of this action relative to a benchmark bloom (like dandelion) so that it can be applied here?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Dandelion and apple are blooming

[@HivesToHome]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog Thank you

[@TylerJSpry]

Another equalization round in a couple weeks before the flow?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Equalization before the flow

[@eng.knowledgeseeker]

This video is gold

[@Cathy24601]

I recently tried to work with my bees for the first time wearing only garden gloves and it did not go as well as this. I think they knew. They are more calm when I’m fully geared up.

[@Cathy24601]

Or I’m more calm when I’m geared up.

[@miroslawlaska8885]

Super

[@extracrazyguy]

Im sorry .. ill stop sending arizona wind your direction. Unfortunately we have the 60km wind gusting too here . Best of luck in this crazy year.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

So it’s your fault !? LOL

[@محمودالنجار-ل2ل]

I ask you to translate this video and the last videos so that I can benefit from them because I am from Egypt. Thank you

[@sylvain-paulcote5470]

It's so windy they had to anchor down the trucks! 😂😂😂

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Lol

[@johncallahan1105]

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@pčelarstvoležaić]

Hey man, you saved me a bunch of time in May/June, i can make 100 nukes in two days alone. Thanks and let it flow. Salute from Croatia

[@davidcassity6593]

I’ve watched lots of your videos. You never go more than 2 boxes. Is that why you never see overly defensive bees in your bees?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Cold Canada keeps everything nice and happy for temperament

[@dusanjevtic1566]

I use a similar method of work

[@munibungbeeking1719]

Yo first comment

[@munibungbeeking1719]

Haven’t got a spare 18min yet but

[@johnoliver9885]

I am a backyard beekeeper who’s motivation is to repopulate our area with feral bees (ok bees that may become feral) anyway I have had two swarms so far and even though I have warned my neighbours (and there is a huge pasture across the street) they are all freaking out! The price you pay.

[@RyanMcDonnough]

Apis mellifera is not native to North America. There is no need to “repopulate” your area with them. You’re probably just creating mite bombs...which harm managed colonies, feral colonies, and native pollinators. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@framcesmoore]

They will just die

[@johnoliver9885]

Horseshit my bees are winter bees. I am trying to help the environment “they will just die” is a possibility but at least they will live or die on their terms. Negativity is a good enough excuse for most people to stop trying. I am not one of those.

[@RyanMcDonnough]

@@johnoliver9885 Easy there, big guy. It’s clear that you don’t understand honey bee physiology because you seem to not understand what winter bees ARE. You seem to also not understand the science as it relates to the varroa/virus complex and how it affects other colonies and native pollinators. Sad. You should make an effort to inform yourself. In the meantime, take a good hard look at your confirmation bias: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias Good luck.

[@johnoliver9885]

@@RyanMcDonnough Seriously I am a “big guy” but your presumptions for my knowledge of honeybees is really prejudiced by your locked in lack of intelligence as a prima donna.

[@miroslawlaska8885]

Super

[@miroslawlaska8885]

Super