Summer Splits How I Make Them

This is the way I make summer splits.

[@TheWisendorf]

I remember the first time I ever watched one of Joe's videos and I thought to myself. Man that guy really likes to do a lot of walking.Joe is one of the most interesting people to watch.I only wish he would talk more about what is in his head instead of how he does it.

[@fishmut]

TheWisendorf ...he’s probably like me mate, likes a port or wine or beer or 2 when he can lol

[@BeeToZFL]

Nice. I love making splits. Those are some STRONG splits. Thank You!

[@charlesoneill466]

Thanks Joe. Great info. Very clear.

[@michaelhopper7487]

I was pretty good video there Joe I'll be watching some more.

[@monicabrimm1822]

Thank you to the camera keeper.Love that you move at your own pace .

[@julieenslow5915]

Awesome video - understood the lesson I think. Summer splits need to be strong splits. Thank you Joe!

[@fishmut]

Julie Enslow ...I think strong splits no matter when if u want success.

[@julieenslow5915]

@@fishmut Well it certainly never hurts. But in spring when you are past the likelihood of freezes - you can be more ambitious to replace lost colonies. Depends on your goals i think.

[@ssmith517]

joe, how is the treating with the oxalic acid fogger turning out? How has your mite counts been with them and is the mite kill comparable to the vaporizer?

[@scottpierson7495]

Joe, I think I’m going to start going to foundationless frames just ordered 200 frames from Mann lake. I did order some rite cell and some wax foundation just to keep them from drawing crazy comb. Any suggestions? And do you run any plastic at all? Also maybe you could do a video and give opinion on those brown and yellow plastic Nuc boxes. Hopefully I’m going to try to make queens next season. As always thank you for your educational videos. Working bees has helped me with my ptsd big time. Just wanted to share that with you. Keep up the great Videos. 🇺🇸

[@timothycooley8337]

Hi Joe. Do you use 5 frame nucs exclusively for ALL your hives, and if so, why? Thanks.

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

No I use five frame here at the house for nuc sales, use 2 frames boxes for mating b boxes, eight frame in the out yards.

[@segami2808]

Joe. Noticed the frames in your bottom brood box is fairly new comb. If I have a new hive. Started about June 1st, 3 box hive now. Mediums, third box getting honey, some cap brood second box lots honey, lots cap brood and eggs. First is all brood eggs.Should I put new frames on the bottom now? Instead of top? Thanks

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I like to keep a place for the queen to lay in the bottom two boxes. If she dose not have a place to lay in the bottom two boxes they will swarm even it there is lots of room in the higher boxes.

[@segami2808]

Ok, so make sure she's got someplace to lay in the new bottom box. So you used already started comb in that nuc? Hope the questions aren't bothersome. Been changing some of my old ways. But trying to get em to work in the brood area. Eliminate the honey in those bottom 2.

[@bruceford9036]

Joe, do you paint all the insides of your boxes? Latex or oil base?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I don't paint the inside of the boxes the one you see painted was free lumber already primed both side.

[@Dstick1Spearfishing]

Great Videos again Joe, you do these so well. Why do you move the queen when you make a split? In hive 18 why did you leave the full honey super on? I also keep meaning to ask, what do you stack your smoker with - it works really well.

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I can take all most every thing out of the hive I am splitting and they will still be the strongest split because all the field bees will come back to that box.

[@bobperrin2287]

Joe Have You Tryed Mixing Oxalic acid With Mineral oil If So How Did it work out

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

No I have not. I don't think it will mix right.

[@Cenepk101]

You wouldn't be doing that without the suit at my house. My bees are PISSED.....I watched your video and wore my entire suit- still got stung multiple times... But got her done !!!! Hope I get a new hive out of it. Mega honey !!!!!

[@swampcrawlerls1267]

Blows my mind peope dont wear suits, my bees would literally kill me.

[@jodifesler5377]

Joe is it to late to make a split if you have a queen cell ? Can I still force them to make a queen? I noticed you weren't using you're own, is that for genetics? Thank you for these videos I know you're horribly busy but it really helps us new beekeepers

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

If you make a strong split you should still have time. Those matted queen were ones I raised out of my stock. I have six blood line of queen in yard. Getting some buck fast queens this week out of Canada.

[@jodifesler5377]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may thanks Joe looks like I got some work to do

[@PhillipHall01]

Joe I noticed that you moved the old queen to one of the new splits and put one of the new mated queens in the original spot. I know that you have a good reason for this, what is the reason? Could it be that it will keep the drift down in the new spot with the old queen? Thanks, Phillip Hall

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

yes I do the old queen is with her bees in the new split she just keeps on laying so that hive will recover faster. The split you take away from the original hive will all way be weaker that why when you make a strong split like I did you even the resources between the two hives then shake about three frames of bees in to the split. You will have some drift back to the original hive and the original gets 90% of the field bees.

[@PhillipHall01]

Thank you again for your help. I always try to let you know I appreciate it very much.

[@PhillipHall01]

Yes sir, makes perfect sense. Thanks for the teaching .

[@woodlandharvesthoneycompanyllc]

On your videos I see mostly nucs. Is that because you are raising bees to sell. My goal is for honey production. Should I be setting up full hive bodies or nucs? I will be doing splits to increase my hives so for that should I use nucs then move them to a full size box?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

Yes I run mostly nucs in this yard for sale. Nucs would be better for splitting they grow faster crowed.

[@beeman1350]

Are you going to direct release those queens or is there queen candy for them to eat through? Thanks for the videos Skinny Beeman!!!

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I will release them.

[@beeman1350]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may How long do you usually wait before releasing them?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I usually wait two days. Take your finger and run over the cage, if the bees move off the cage easy she should be ok. If i am doing really strong splits I like to use a laying queen cage.

[@beeman1350]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may Thanks a laying queen cage is that 8th inch hardware cloth push in cage u done on one of ur videos a while back. Right? Sam amount of time? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks agian.

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

yes it is.

[@garyshaffer68]

Thank Joe . My problem will splits now is keeping the strong hive from robbing them out. Here in Pa.

[@skinnybeeman4584]

Gary Shaffer there are a couple of things you can do do stop the robbing one is open feed 2 or 300 feet away from your house open the entrances on the big hives wide open reduce the entrances on the splits as little as possible Last Resort put robbing screens on

[@garyshaffer68]

Ok thanks joe

[@426superbee4]

too hot to mess with bees in Texas. he hee but its got to be done i've been working mine early in the mornings. i caught some natural wild honey bees, there a size of a fly. i got to fine some brood cell to get em going faster, or com bin em one. was a small swarm young queen. like 1k of bees next year i make queens. give your bees a beer. YOU BE CAREFUL OUT THERE OK can get a sun stroke fast

[@marciamayfield9437]

Wondering what you do to keep the bees from robbing?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I put robbing screens on the weak hives and open feed all they want away from the bee yard.

[@robbiesines4864]

I split my Hive today I saw little brood mostly honey I'm using nuc last week I saw a lot of brood a honey 2 weeks before that mostly honey should I wait 7 days to see if split work

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I don't know did you split with a mated queen or queen cell ready to hatch or a walk away spit. If you use a mated queen I would check in four days to make sure the queen was out. If you use a queen cell ready to hatch 14 days before you check. If you did a walk away split 28 days.

[@robbiesines4864]

@@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay I use 2 frames to split the Hive

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

@@robbiesines4864 you could check on them in 5 days to make sure they made queen cells.

[@baconneggs2406]

I heard threw the grapevine your queens like to hide in the feeder😂

[@biggy1182]

Hi Joe, enjoying your videos. Are your nucs made of ply or pine?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

Boxes are pine top and bottom boards are 5/8 ply wood.

[@Cenepk101]

Sir - I need help. I’m in trouble here. I split the hive & took honey. Put the honey in a plastic bin. Shook off the bees first. Then wheel barrowed the bin of honey to the back door. I left the top of the bin off thinking the bees would go back to the hive like last year. Instead- the bees are swarming the honey as if a queen is there. What in the actual Sam Hill Am I to do ? I wheeled the bin back close to the hive. There are thousands still swarming up where I initially brought the bin

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

you are in a dearth can't leave any honey uncovered. Get the bees off it and take it inside the other bees will leave after awhile.

[@Cenepk101]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may Thank you so much. I covered the honey in the plastic bin. Then a 2 hour thunderstorm. It was dark - So I checked. They were sleeping- so I put the lid back on. Exhausted. What should I do tomorrow?

[@Cenepk101]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may Dearth ? Like famine ? I have never seen so much honey or so many bees. This hive swarmed in April. This is only my 2nd year. My mentor is 86. Slowed down quite a bit from last year. 😳I need to get a new mentor. This was crazy. Went on all day !!!

[@Cenepk101]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may I’m in zone 7b and have a pretty incredible cottage garden. There are things blooming here year round. Mind winters.

[@Cenepk101]

Little Bits Honey Bees joe may PS. I’m not doubting you. Just giving pertinent info so you can troubleshoot. 😘

[@JimWellman]

The recap: 23:46

[@andrewklahold2880]

is july to late to buy nucs

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

If they are good healthy bees aug is not to late in Indiana. I made 30 splits this week.

[@fishmut]

So you put an ankle biter queen in that hive.....I prefer stapling queens the ones that staple your socks to your ankles lol then you know you got real bees 😜

[@xshanghu]

Can you make a larger queen cell?

[@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay]

I guess I don't understand the question

[@briancoleman4554]

That was supposed to be chanlle. Not change. 😒