Large Honeybee hive Split the easy way by Tim Durham

[@havfaith56]

Boy, your bees are just so sweet and gentle. Well behaved. Mine are not, but when everyone is losing bees, mine keep going. I just wish I could get into them like you do. But I can work in my lawn without problems.

[@rdktruckie1971]

Mr. Durham, I love watching your videos, so easy to learn from. You remind me of my grandfather talking and teaching things to me on the farm (cattle and hay) when I was a kid. Keep up the good work and videos and God Bless Sir.

[@globalbmx]

I really enjoy your videos Tim. I'm going to have to give this method a try when I am ready to do a split. Thank you for sharing.

[@MrBeeman59]

Awesome system for splitting. I will be trying it out this spring. Love all your videos Tim.

[@philippefinance1118]

Fantastic videos Tim, I've been watching them again and again, and recommending them to fellow beekeepers. Thank you for it.

[@namenotavaiable]

Hi! I am an Italian girl that is studying at the faculty of Agriculture, I think that your videos are amazing! I'd like to work with bees in future and in my opinion your videos are very useful, a point where I can start learn something more practical and less theoretical then my daily lessons! Have a nice day :)

[@ryansoit9524]

Hi there

[@zorama7679]

I'm not a bee keeper, but itz a joy watching your videos and all the funny things u said..

[@FlyRenegade_]

"A queen is everything, if you don't have a good queen, you don't have anything!" Wise words to live by sir.

[@Noahsoak]

Queen is well visible. Thanks videos are great! I share often.

[@rrketc2]

Well Mr. Durham, I don't think they have welfare here, not the same as in the US, that's for sure. But I am from Kentucky, I am just living here. I got me a piece of heaven way out in the country side, my own slice of the Bluegrass and got me a farm going. I have three hives now, two are Italian bees and one consists of Japanese bees. Japanese bees are totally not aggressive but produce less honey. They are 'wild' and don't draw comb on frames, only naturally. They have a different foraging pattern too which makes their honey taste more complex. Bees are wonderful creatures and I am enjoying them immensely. Thanks for all your good advice, it is very helpful!

[@artistmama1]

Thanks for sharing. You add laughter to my life as well as knowledge of how to keep bees. I am new to beekeeping. I always appreciate your sense of humor. Keep on keepin' on! :-)

[@xHottDawgx]

Looks good Tim. I could see the queen well. She's a big one eh

[@tekobari]

***** She's gorgeous! She looked pretty active, too. Did you decide to replace her?

[@benjaminmeadows1380]

Nice hives. 👍

[@samshafer1282]

When I take off a super I like to just tilt it up against something (like the brood chamber, fence, hive stand) so I don't crush many bees on the bottom of it. It just seems to make sense to me but I haven't seen many videos of beekeepers doing that. I also like using that frame hanger that hangs on the side of the box and I can put from 1-4 frames on it while working; seems less likely to kill as many bees as setting the frame down somewhere. Love the jokes.

[@WallsBeeMan]

the frame hanger really is a workable tool. I would turn my top upside down and place a box catywompus on it so a lot less exposure

[@riphaven]

I hope when I'm 71 I have 1/10th the energy you have. I'm 51 and it ain't looking too good, but new jersey living can do that to yah:-)))

[@628DirtRooster]

Neat method

[@rrketc2]

Thank you Sir. It looks like, after further inspection, that those drones may be getting 'evicted' from the hive. Guess times might be tough after the main flow and those dudes weren't pulling their weight.

[@larrypinkerton9521]

Thanks for your response, and info.

[@jerryprewett5294]

seemed easy enough ,i will have to try this next yr ,with only starting a couple weeks ago with 2 nucs and a small hive that i cutout last week,i do want more bee hives than the three but don`t want to attempt it this late in the yr ?

[@rrketc2]

Thank you for your advice. I will do that.

[@CoachSeanPeterson]

Hi Tim, thank you for your videos!! Q. Where do you get your queens? Q. What would you do if you did have a queen to put in?

[@leandrozuniga5634]

Are still available? Hope everything is right. 🙂

[@jessethorne8937]

"..split the hive the easy way.." by shaking a frame vigorously to rudely expel the many bees, wearing just cargo-shorts and a tshirt?! That is awesome! Tim is the John Wayne of beekeepers! How frequently would you recommend a split?

[@hogkillerjp]

great video,thanks

[@ryanwillett728]

You have passive bees! No way I could work mine without a veil...

[@ryanwillett728]

I noticed you took a few stings as well during another split video you did. That is about what I would expect. I can not risk stings to the face though as I react poorly to them. Hands and arms are fine, face not so much.

[@auburnbutler159]

Hey Tim , you said move the split two miles away. Could you make the split add the new queen and block all entrances and keep them closed up like that for maybe a week or so feeding sugar water then open the hive up and just move them to the other side of the yard?

[@WallsBeeMan]

you can screen them up but do not for a week. 3 days is good

[@davidhicks9964]

Tim, Thanks for the great videos. We played one at our last beekeeper meeting and everyone loved it. Question: Because you had eggs, larve, and capped brood in the split, would they make their own queen?

[@skipdelvaglio4887]

Hey Tim. In one of your split videos you show the spli box with 10 frames. Then the next day when you open the box at the new location, there are only 4 frames in the box before you put the queen in. What happened to those other 6 frames? That’s confusing as no mention was made as to what happened to those frames and why????

[@WallsBeeMan]

Hey Skip, Often I may takes frames out to be able to have room to move freely. Usually those frames may have and few bees on them and no brood or eggs. When I do that, I get those frames back in there very soon so I don't forget. Have a good one............tim

[@ericshipplett3517]

I miss your videos

[@WallsBeeMan]

Just made one

[@thegravetenders]

We just split a hive with three frames of brood with no queen.. look for the big queen cell poking out of the side of a comb, move that frame and some brood, once you see the little bees around the hive in the evening you know the brood has hatched with a queen. You can tell if the bees accepted the hive when they start pushing debris out the front.

[@suehooker1329]

The Gravetenders i

[@alblakesley511]

Tim Durham when put on honey suppers do you leave all the frames in the supper or do you take some out and then add some back in as needed

[@WallsBeeMan]

I put all frames in at all time......tim

[@robbiesines4864]

do you ever have aggressive hive if so how do you protect yourself

[@rrketc2]

Mr.Durham, I was wondering when is the latest I could split a hive. I got a real strong hive now with loads of bees. It seems to be the flow season here though. Can I split half way through a nectar flow? Thank you!

[@rrketc2]

***** Mr. Durham, I hear ya on that one but where I am at, everyone works hard. Here in Japan, the people are exactly like bees; they all work real hard for the common good. But most of em don't know what that common good even is! Probably just like the bees!

[@suehooker1329]

Hi Tim, maybe a novice question, but could you leave the new split without requeening and let the hive make a new queen from the eggs that are already in the hive? Great videos always!!! Thank you, HH

[@WallsBeeMan]

you could but you would lose a month of production time plus you woul;d have to have a really lot of bees in there for them to make a quality queen

[@sharonmccoy7706]

will honeybees store fondant or just eat it.

[@WallsBeeMan]

just eat it

[@jamesblakesley3213]

Tim is it true the more pollen stores you have in a beehive The More brood you will have in your beehive

[@WallsBeeMan]

I cannoit give you a definitive answer on that. I think the bees will determine the correct amount as long as you live in an area that it is available for them. Having said that, I have seen hives that I thought they were close to having too much pollen kind of like, a hive can get honey bound.

[@alblakesley511]

Tim do u use solid bottom beehives or screen bottom hives

[@WallsBeeMan]

Screened

[@framcesmoore]

the video is great do u ever let your bees make there own queens to try to save money or is it just better to buy one thanks

[@WallsBeeMan]

You will lose a moth when you let them make their own queen and if it is not a hive with a lot of been, the queen they make might not be a go get're. I do not know hos many hives you have but if you really keep an eye inside the hives, they will swarm and you catch it before they swarm and divide it up making 2 or 3 hives and those queen most likely will be real good queens

[@kerrysupporter]

I would never go near a hive without a suit. I would be stung to bits

[@upnorthhomecare]

Tim, really enjoy your vids. I was successful with a bee trap this fall and now have a pretty good swarm. My question is this. When bees swarm to a tree or house or some other place without comb, what does the queen do while her bees build comb. Does she just wait around until there is a place to lay eggs?

[@upnorthhomecare]

Tim, I transfered my caught bees to a hive and checked it a couple of weeks later and there was capped brood and eggs so I thought all was well. I checked a couple of weeks later, which was yesterday, and there is about three solid frames of bees, and they are bringing in lots of pollen, but yesterday, I saw no eggs or brood. I spotted the queen and she appears to be healthy, but think she stopped laying. I have also been feeding sugar water. Just wonder if it is normal for her to stop laying when it gets colder. I am in northern michigan and nights are now in the 40s and days in the 50s-60s. What can I do to help them through the winter?

[@jamesblakesley3213]

Tim​Durham Sr is there anything wrong with raising my bee's in a five frame nuc

[@WallsBeeMan]

Nothing wrong with that for a while but soon the box will not hold all the bees and that will encourage them to swarm and they will not have enough roon to store up food for winter

[@peacefulmind1559]

I split 5 hives. 2 of the hives that produced a queen had no queen 2 weeks later, what happened to the queen?

[@peacefulmind1559]

I guess I have learned when waiting for a queen less hive to produce a queen. That just because you've located a queen things aren't ok until the queen starts laying. I'll do weekly checks from now on but I still wonder what happened to the queens in 2 hives. Thank You

[@theoeicher]

Hi, can you do a vertical split like that at 50F? I worry it may take the nurse bees a bit to get up above the queen excluder which might chill the brood. Whats the lowest temp you would do such a split?

[@WallsBeeMan]

You don't want eggs/brood exposed 60 degrees or lower

[@framcesmoore]

what month do u do your splits, if u do splits in the spring I have found I do not get any honey from them but I would like to increase my count and stop buying bees, making my own, I would like to get self sufficient here thanks your videos are great.

[@WallsBeeMan]

We are in zone 7 , North MS. Normally we could split late April or May but I bet we are a month ahead as it has been so warm. After you split you could sugar syrup them and really speed them along.

[@Noahsoak]

How can you get that soot out? I use pine needles as well. I've tried to scrape it but it's pretty stuck.

[@WallsBeeMan]

fairly easy. with a butane torch, get it hot enough then it will burn itself out. After it has burned itself out, it scrapes off very very easy

[@thegolfbat1]

Tim its Limey Kev again got a question for ya. I have been offered a site on a farm that will be right next to 3 feilds of Rape. in spring. But the the hives will be in shade in early morning. As it is part of a spinny of trees. What are your thoughts regarding shaded sites for apierarys. Thanks by the way for getting back to me on my other mail. Ya must be a busy chap.

[@ArtGardens]

Thank you Tim, I have a question. You said that you will place a new queen in there. What if you don't? Wont they make one of the cells a queen cell, and raise their own queen?

[@WallsBeeMan]

they can raise their own but you lose about a month of time

[@valdrinbeta9835]

Hi Durham Great video and i have a question when you split the new hive do you move it away for example 3 km far from the old hive ? I would be very happy if a get any answer thanks for all the tips.

[@valdrinbeta9835]

and if you can not move 2 miles far can you just move away 5-6 steps far is this possible?

[@jackiehowlett674]

Hi Tim, I think have looked and looked but can't find an answer. I did a split about a month ago. Everything was going well, I took the queen from the old hive, things seem to be in order. Then on one of the frames they got verroa mite in the cell. Man they are gross when pulled out of the cell. I had the country bee inspector come out and take a look. He only found five or six mites. Anyway we replaced it with another one. The last time I saw the queen was about four days ago. When I looked to night there was plenty of comb, nectar being capped. Didn't see the queen, eggs or capped/unncapped brood. There was more honey being capped. Will the bees still do that if they have no queen? Sorry this was so long.

[@jackiehowlett674]

Thanks Tim. Finally found a queen. Not the same one I put in with them. Now getting good brood pattern

[@Bakalakalajihad]

I wanna know how to make queens. I thought if you took that top box without queen the bees would make a queen cells?

[@alblakesley511]

Tim Durham what month do you usaully do split's

[@WallsBeeMan]

We are south and close to Memphis which is about 35 latitude. Can start in April only if the hive has enough bees in it. A strong hive is the most important factor. Strong meaning, a lot of bees of enough bees

[@ilovetonalfusion]

Why do you got to move the hive 2 miles?

[@rdreynoldsbanana]

Tim your videos are amazing! I'm part of a few people trying to start up a bee box for our 360 acre ranch and I had a question. At the end you said to take them two miles off when you get a new queen in the box; what is the significance of the two miles?

[@poodidi9]

hi, do you use a queen excluder on most of your hives ?ive seen other videos saying they don't use them.if you don't use them I wont also, thanks once again

[@framcesmoore]

when do u split you hives just to split not because they are going to swarm if u want honey to do u do your splits in spring or in late summer what way is best I am going to split like u do thanks

[@WallsBeeMan]

Most people split them in the Spring. It is hard to find or get a Queen in hte Fall.

[@guitarfend]

Tim , is it too late to split a hive. I have one that just petered out. Its from a split and the queen went in the other box. The queens they made didn't survive. I have another one thats got 3 boxes and is doing well. I would like to repopulate the first one. Second, why did you shake off the bees ? Was it just to make sure the queen was left? Enjoy your videos very much.

[@diannaboykin7628]

Tim, do you raise your queens, or buy them??

[@rrketc2]

Sir, your videos are very helpful. Thank you. When would you recommend putting on a super? Right now it is mid April and I got a nuc with a middle aged queen.

[@rrketc2]

Sir, I need to impose another question on you. I noticed on one of my real strong hives, that I have a congregation of maybe 60-70 drones hanging out outside of the hive. What in the world is going on here? I looked inside a few days ago and couldn't find any swarm cells. Are they getting ready for something?

[@whoknows7798]

MrTim Durham in the video of the three box split why did you carry the new split two miles away from the old box

[@WallsBeeMan]

if you don't take them at least 2 miles, they wil;l fly back to the mother hive

[@troyleeezell9902]

What do you call old honey?

[@WallsBeeMan]

Old honey is honey that has been in the comb a long time, maybe a few years and it gets very dark and has a strong taste

[@grounded7362]

Tim: When can a person split a hive? What should I be looking for to know I can successfully split a hive?

[@larrypinkerton9521]

Hey Tim, I had a swarm from one of my boxes, I caught them from tree in a nuc box, they have swarm from nuc box 3 times, please tell me why they keep swarming. Thanks

[@NatureCoastBeeCo]

If that grandson of yours is into girls, just tell him you'll hook him up! More than he can handle in those hives :)

[@rayanchahine3060]

Animaux

[@Iceskater1001]

Hi Its been great watching how you do things but it amazes me you dont wear a beesuit

[@Iceskater1001]

thats good to know thanks for your reply

[@benjaminmeadows1380]

This is crazy cant do my hives without veil

[@alblakesley511]

Tim when you do a split why don't you leave some worker honeybees a frame of eggs and they will make there own Queens and mine are also naturally breed and make huge beautiful Queens

[@WallsBeeMan]

I do try to have all stages eggs thu capped brood.....tim