Pre-Split Inspection - "Are the bees ready to split?" [Beekeeping 201 - Apiarist Tutorial/Advice]

This is the last inspection of the bees before we split the hives. In this Beekeeping 201 tutorial, John shows us some tips and tricks for inspections of hives with active colonies of bees that are ready to split. Join us as he talks about brood types, queen characteristics, timing for the split, and proper hive maintenance. Here are the first steps in "how to split a beehive".
What things should you look out for in your pre-split inspection? Are your bees ready to split? Do you need some advice from an apiarist tutorial? You've come to the right place. If you have any questions about how to split your hives, leave us a comment and we'll reply as soon as possible.
Also check out our online store, where you can purchase everything you need to become a successful apiarist. From protective gear to split tools, we have you covered. Go to CentralBeekeepersSuppy.com or give us a shout at [e-mail] for more info. Thanks for watching!
"Roll that Beautiful Bee Footage!"
#HiveInspection #SplittingBees
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:11 John Smith - intro
3:00 Checking the first hive box
11:14 Lifting the top box to inspect the Queen cups and drone brood
15:00 Pulling a frame from the bottom box (looking for the Queen)
16:40 All hail the Queen!
22:30 Stay tuned for more Beautiful Bee Footage!
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[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing to our channel. We hope this video helps you learn something about splitting hives this spring. If you have any questions, leave a comment and we'll reply as soon as we can. Thanks again! For all of your beekeeping needs, visit us online at centralbeekeeperssupply.com.

[@warpocmuse]

It's always a great beekeeping video when some states they're "hoping for a queen in the bottom..."

[@seedsandarrowsfrontier9224]

Your hive is looking great! Enjoyed the information and watching your videos!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thank you kindly! We appreciate you stopping by.

[@seedsandarrowsfrontier9224]

Good looking hives!! Im new to the channel. Staying tuned for more videos! God bless

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thank you! We appreciate you stopping by. Please let us know what you'd like to see more of in the future.

[@duynguyen8784]

Keep that BEE FOOTAGE ROLLING! Thank for the great educational video’s

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

You bet! Thanks for watching.

[@carolynclemmons7193]

Being from the Deep South, I loved it that you call the Queen “mama” and said , “you’re doin’ a great job Mama” :)

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

I have to think that it's comforting to the bees when we use language that means something to us personally. When we speak to them with love and good vibes, they respond! Thanks for watching, Carolyn. 🐝

[@rickhermann7639]

love that you detailed conditions.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Rick. Weather conditions are SO important when deciding to open a hive box, or do anything with the girls, honestly. A few degrees, or a strong wind above XX mph makes a huge difference in temperament and actions of the bees. Thanks for the comment!

[@beedazzledbees3893]

Detail is everything, you've done the best explanation and pointed out vital info for anyone learning , don't believe I've ever watched a better teaching vidio of my 15 years of raising bees and makeing Queens ect. AWSOM!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Wow, thank you! We try to make it easy for anyone to understand and follow the advice (or to come up with their own technique). Thank you so much for watching. We really appreciate your comment. That makes us feel like we're doing something useful and beneficial to the community of beekeepers on KZbin. Feel free to lend advice or make suggestions anytime. 😃

[@snakejumper3277]

Great demo plus explanation. You're a natural teacher; you explained what you were planning to do then, modeled it.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks, Charles. That means a lot. Hopefully everyone finds the instructions easy to remember and customize for their own needs.

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

You could also add a Queen Excluder over the Bottom Board, keeping the 'Mama' from Swarming. And, leave the Queen cells above that original QE, to allow the best Queen Cells to win the new Mama outcome. (Bottom box keeps the top box warm re raising that brood.) Make sure to add an entrance board above that 2nd QE. The top loses the smell of Mama below, raises their own Mama. Then you can "Split" knowing the basement kept the attic cosy !!! Simples. 👍 Happy Beekeeping 2021 🐝

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Another great method! We appreciate the comments and you watching!

[@jbeebuchanan2136]

Great video. Thanks for taking the time

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Our pleasure! Thank YOU for watching!

[@enricolovadina3560]

Bravo . Very good job .from Italy.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thank you very much! We appreciate you watching!

[@rehmangusandapiary9024]

Great video John and Jason!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Phillip! We appreciate you watching and leaving a comment. If we can ever help you, give us a shout!

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

Beautiful bees!! Thank you for sharing this! New Beekeeper and this is like going to college learning from you guys!!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

That is extremely kind. Thank you so much! That lets me know that we're doing some good for the community of beekeepers on KZbin. Thanks for watching. If you ever have questions, please give us a shout. We'd love to help you.

[@davidaiello1268]

One of the better tutorials I've seen in a long time! Very well explained. 👍

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks, David! I hope it helped. We love making these videos, and comments like these really encourage us to keep going. Appreciate you!

[@uptank8461]

This was a very good interesting video its the way you talk and explain thats interesting, can see you love your bees a lot doing your best in not killing the bees thumbs up, do love your southern accent its cool.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Well thank you very much! We really do care about every bee in our hives (and elsewhere), and unfortunately it's impossible to ensure the survival of each one. But we do what we can. Thanks so much for watching!

[@bsk7125]

Thank you. Awesome video!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@kathleenshugrue2782]

We're about to restart our hives after a hiatus of a couple of years so it was time to brush up on how to manage a hive. I watched a lot of videos the past couple of days and yours are by far the best. John is SO good at explaining hive management from the basics to the fine points of beekeeping. Keep these videos coming! They are so helpful. We live outside Boston and spring is a little slower up here but can't wait to get our box of bees in a few weeks.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

That is awesome! Thanks for the comment, we really appreciate that. We intend to keep the videos rolling. Please check in again and let us know how your boxes are doing. ❤️

[@shawnboutersebouterseurban387]

Love your videos. Very informative

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Shawn! You should subscribe so you always know when we release new content! 😃

[@rogerfryar8746]

Great video! I might have considered using a double screen board (where you put your Queen excluder) and done the split now...

[@abigailjacob4043]

This video was super super useful. I'm a second year beekeeper and successfully overwintered my first hive this year. I inspected my hive last weekend and found the exact same conditions - lots of drone brood down in the gap between the boxes and broke a good bit of it open unintentionally when I inspected the frames. We had a cold snap here locally these last three days so I've been trying to hold off on splitting until the temps warm up again but I do think I'll be splitting this weekend once it's warmer.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Sounds awesome, Abigail! We appreciate you sharing your experiences. Please don't be a stranger! Thanks for watching.

[@R_an_D]

I have a lot of years keeping bees but I still watch and learn. You have very good bee handling skills that lots of keepers can learn from. It's subtle, but your deliberate, controlled movements as opposed to a hound dog diggin a hole makes the whole process more enjoyable for keepers and bees. I see you are relatively new to youtube. I expect to see your viewership numbers jump. Rand from north central Michigan. Fresh snow on the ground this morning.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

That is extremely kind, and we really appreciate the comment. John has always been a friend to the bees first, and a "beekeeper" second. As you know, they respond much better to a gentle hand. I really do believe that the bees know and trust John. They catch a whiff of his smoker and they just know. It's amazing how intelligent these little creatures are. Thanks for watching! We hope to grow this channel so we can help both seasoned apiarists and beginner beeks alike. People like you really help us stay motivated. Thank you, sincerely.

[@michaelfike7542]

Did the same thing last weekend added another box for expansion and hope to split them when I can and not when they want to do it. Great video and enjoyed the information and all the clear explanations of what you were doing. 👍🐝🐝🐝

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Michael! Good luck on your split. Please let us know how it went! Thanks for watching. 🐝

[@AskTheCarExperts]

Enjoyed the video! Subscribed and looking forward to your split video!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks for the sub! We really appreciate you watching.

[@Makermook]

I'm in southcentral Kentucky and I'm in my first spring of beekeeping (I got 2 hives later last year). This video series is going to be very helpful for me and my 2 hives.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Mark! Good luck on your hives!

[@tyehunsberger6992]

You make great informative videos, much appreciated

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Glad you like them, Tye! Thanks so much for watching, and for leaving a comment. If you ever have any questions, or advice for others watching, feel free to leave a comment anytime. :-)

[@glynnryan7773]

John very informative video

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Glad you enjoyed it Glynn! Thanks for watching.

[@muleskinner485]

Very well explained, this video is what i was looking for, great job in detail of what is going on, thanks for sharing

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@joeymullins3859]

I just started bee keeping i live in the far southwest Virginia, very good detailed videos,thanks for sharing your knowledge, to help people like myself just getting started beekeeping.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

That's awesome to hear. Thanks for watching, and thanks for keeping bees. We appreciate you, Joey!

[@wittencreekbeez9384]

Thank you for this video! This is my 1st Spring and my bees have come out of Winter strong. Now my focus is keeping my bees. This video addressed my needs and looking forward to part ii !

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for watching.

[@matthewcantarella5618]

I am really glad you were able to show some of the hive "destruction." As a beekeeper going into my second year with my first overwintered hive, I was getting very concerned when I started seeing cells/larvae taking a beating as I inspected the hive. Seeing the other way of lifting/tilting the box is a good idea.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

While we definitely *_try_* not to harm any bees, sometimes it's unavoidable in the daily duties of being a beekeeper. We don't go tearing through the hive, pulling quickly without any thought. The bees have put a lot of work into their design, so we also try to honor that as much as possible. As long as you have plenty of brood and the colony is healthy, a few cells of larvae lost won't cost the hive too much. Sounds like you're doing a great job, Matthew. Thanks for the comment.

[@lindagray5857]

Thank you. Very detailed information. I love seeing different thoughts on spring splits.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Linda! It's neat how every beekeeper has their own way of doing things. We appreciate the comment!

[@dougstucki8253]

Very well done video! The camera work is as smooth as can be and you did a great job editing. I look forward to more. Subscribed!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Doug! We appreciate you watching!

[@CentralKyBees]

Awesome vid. I'm learning alot from your channel. I'm a beginner and I've made my purchases from your website. I've built my hive and I have 2 swarm traps out. I'm trying to catch the bees for my first hive if that fails a coworker is going to sell me a split. Im super excited to start this journey. Thank you and keep posting those videos, they are a huge help!!!

[@thepitpatrol]

Svtcobrastrike, you have come to the right place. I am blessed enough to live where I can purchase my equipment from their store. This family has taught me all I know and every visit to their store is an education. This is a highly addictive hobby that provides a great condiment, is amazingly interesting, and good for the environment to boot.

[@CentralKyBees]

@@thepitpatrol that's awesome, I'm in Kentucky so I gotta hitup that website but I'm thankful for all the info they are putting out! I'm stoked

[@thepitpatrol]

@@CentralKyBees beautiful state! This will be a lifelong learning trip. Don't get discouraged, you will have some set backs, all of us have but there is nothing like walking by your bee yard on a spring day and seeing them all buzzing around.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Love to hear this! Thank you so much for watching and commenting. The beekeeping community is stronger because of people like you! If we can ever do anything else to help support your journey, let us know. Thank you for your orders!

[@HereWeGoSteelers]

Thank you Sir

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Most welcome. Thanks for watching. 👍

[@Eric19781]

Just found y’all this morning here in Calico Rock AR

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hello Diamond Family Homestead! It's great to hear from Calico Rock, Arkansas. Thanks so much for watching. We subscribed to your channel, so please keep pumping out those videos!

[@beekeepinggarden165]

Great video 👌👌👌

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks for watching!

[@BrooklandsHoneyBees]

Great video :)

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks for the visit!

[@chrisblester37]

Iv got two very big hives I want to split they both have two full sized brood boxes and 3 3/4 boxes on top for honey .was just going to make sure they have heaps of lava fresh in all 4 boxes so the 2 without a queen can make there own .if I know were the queens are all good but if not it's not an issue . When they start making queen cells I will know witch box has a queen and what don't if I have enough queen cells I may put in the hives with queens to replace ,I will do this close to hatching to avoid the queen swarming and if she's a very good queen she won't be replaced. I do this every year with my bee's to replace the queens. When I can't find a marked queen she's been replaced. The stronger the hive the more chance the old queen will survive, but they always go after 3 years .

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Sounds like great advice, Chris! Thanks for sharing the knowledge, and thanks a ton for watching. 🐝

[@Chris-ft9kf]

Nice vid. Sorry about your dog. I'm a newbie bee keeper and appreciate the content. Thank You!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Chris. She was a sweet girl and will be missed. Good luck on your beekeeping journey! If you ever have questions, give us a shout!

[@gypsygem9395]

Yeah I got a lump in my throat when the end of the video showed Murphy... And this is only the 2nd video I've watched on this channel!

[@genewoodell6970]

What was the white substance that was on the perimeter of the frame (16:46) that the Queen was on that looked like frost or snow? Was that the color of your wax frame? I don’t think I have seen white. Only yellow, black and light green. Thank you for taking the time to show the inspection. You are very kind in your instruction of people at different levels of learning. It looks like you poured little slabs for the hives to go on, a great idea!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

The white part is the frame foundation. It's just a thin plastic sheet that sits in the frame to give the bees something to build from. Has little raised hexagons on it. Works great! We appreciate you watching, Gene. Let me know if you have any questions! www.centralbeekeeperssupply.com/online-store/Plastic-Beeswax-Coated-Foundation-p102717723

[@sandcyngal]

Thank you for your video. Very helpful.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@thepitpatrol]

John, contact that guy at CBS, he has some traps to take care of those hive beetles🤣, yea there is one in every crowd.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Haha, you guys are great. I may have to hit up centralbeekeeperssupply.com and order some beetle towels or something! 😅

[@patrickcarter7965]

Not sure but looks like the queen was on your left arm at the 9:40 mark

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

I think you may be right! Not sure where she came from, or where she went, but that was totally strange. Thanks for catching that, Patrick!

[@cornelTheHoBeeMan]

where I come from, the beekeppers use to always remove the 2nd frame[never the 1st] before they do any type of work in the hive box..! my hearth stops when I see the Q on that frame you pull out in the midle of the bottom box..! that was a huge risk to kill her in the process..!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Experience counts in the bee yard. Everyone does it differently, and based on what we've done in the past, this method works. 20+ years of handling bees will give you a confidence that no book can give you. As you can see, she's doing just fine. Thanks for watching!

[@BernyHi_CosmicHoney]

Thanks for sharing. At 7:49 it looks like there might be a larva in a cell facing down, around the middle of the frame on the bottom. Is that just more drone? Or potentially a queen in the making?

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

At 17.18 their is a x1 Drone Cell in amongst Worker Capped Brood, mid upper frame, just after the Queen was pointed out (aka Mama !) 🐝

[@sonofthunder.]

spray sugar water on grumpy bees,might help,thanks for the vids

[@rstlr01]

With that Wind the smoke did not want to go in the hive.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Totally true. It was SUPER windy that day. Smoke didn't want to obey directions. haha!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Great advice, Mark! Usually it's not *THAT* windy here, but next time we may spray some sugar water if the smoke doesn't listen. Thanks for the comment!

[@sherryortiz6791]

Why don't you pull the honey frame from the end out first and slide frames over instead of pulling from the center and taking a chance of possibly destroying the queen? I've never seen anyone pulling from the center first

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hey Sherry, thanks for asking. Based on where the most dense population of bees resides within the box (including brood and honey patterns), it was safe to suspect that the queen was nearby. I looked down into the box for a while. Seeing no cross-combing, I used my years of experience to deduce that the queen could be located quickly and without harm by pulling where we pulled. I don't recommend anyone go ripping through a hive without thorough knowledge of what they're doing. That's why this tutorial is listed as "Beekeeping 201".

[@henryr.parker8505]

Well, That's what I do, not what to do, I put the 3rd box in the second position; Am I doing wrong? And the super you added, did it have drawn comb, because you had them under moth treatments for the winter? Just acting like I would be a new bee keeper..... Great video....

[@mikethebeeguy8657]

What do you you use to engrave your name on your hive tool? That is really nice!👍

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks Mike! I just took my hive tool down to the local metal fab shop and they were able to laser engrave it for me!

[@sonofthunder.]

do you ever clip her wing

[@amandabrooks2757]

How soon will you make your split knowing they have swarm cups started?

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

We just filmed the video about splits this past week. From this inspection to the split was about a week and a half. Stay tuned for the split video! Coming in the next few days. It was awesome!

[@elainepickup2957]

Why don’t you mark the queens?

[@brockobama6771]

IMO if they decide to swarm...you cant stop it ..you need to move the queen and let them do they thing

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Thanks, Brock.

[@paulawaldrep9882]

And what is your location?

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hey Paula, we're located in Russellville, Arkansas. You can check us out online at www.centralbeekeeperssupply.com.

[@lewgoldberg9243]

Where are you located?

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hey Lew, we're located in Russellville, Arkansas. You can check us out online at centralbeekeeperssupply.com.

[@wetsdew7004]

Split

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Split!

[@hasmikpeter74]

Where is this place ?????

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hello Hasmik! We are located in Russellville, Arkansas. We have a full-service beekeeper supply store with tons of great apiary supplies. Stop in and see us sometime! www.centralbeekeeperssupply.com

[@strixoutdoors]

Great vid! Just did an inspection on our hives (15) today and saw the same thing. A couple of our over wintered double deeps have a LOT of drone cells throughout.. I didn't see any queen cups with royal jelly but they did have empty cups in various places. Does the abundance of drone cells indicate they are getting ready to swarm? Are you going to do walk away splits or you have some new queens you'll be using? I sub'd your channel to support the great work you're doing. Not sure if my channel is of interest to you but would appreciate if you checked it out and sub'd if it is. Thanks!

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Not necessarily, but indicates they are preparing for spring. I did walk away splits. I appreciate you watching. I'll make sure to check your channel out.

[@strixoutdoors]

@@CentralBeekeepersSupply , cool. I just did my first set of grafts. I got 13 out of 15 cells to take. They look pretty good so far. Will be putting into mating nucs tomorrow and see how they do. I need to replace some grumpy queens.

[@brockobama6771]

its bad practice to put frame with queen back in hive without a frame taken out...or move the queen to the box after placing frame in...Hope you didnt aquish that queen...otherwise you went from an A+ hive to Dead hive

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

I think it's obvious from the Split video (same hive) that the Queen was very alive and well. We've been doing it this way for many years and haven't lost one yet. Thanks for watching. :-)

[@olddave4833]

very seldom see a "pro" pull a frame from the center

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

When the pro knows and understands his hives and bees at this level, sometimes unorthodox methods are ok. A lot depends on the concentration and activity of the bees.

[@hasmikpeter74]

????

[@Granny_T_Travels]

Why in the world would the first frame you pulled from the middle. Very bad practice if this is to be a tutorial video.

[@CentralBeekeepersSupply]

Hey Tracy, looking down into the box I could see that there was no cross-comb. Noticing where the bees are more densely packed AND where the brood is located gives me a keen sense of where the queen probably is. Sorry we didn't clarify that in the video.