Spring Splits

Spring has hit, and the bees are acting like they are ready to move out. For anyone who hasn’t seen it before, a swarm is the hive’s natural way of reproducing. When a colony gets crowded, the queen runs out of laying space, or the bees feel like the hive is getting too tight, they decide it’s time to divide themselves. The old queen along with half of the hive leaves. They will cluster on a tree and wait while scouts look for a new home. It is great for the bees, but not so great when they choose your neighbors porch swing as their new home...

That is why I’ve been out doing splits lately. A split is me stepping in before the bees make their own “moving day” plans. I take a strong hive, pull frames of brood and bees, and create a second colony. It relieves pressure inside the original hive, keeps them from swarming, and lets me grow the apiary on purpose instead of chasing bees around town.

The hives built up fast this year, so staying ahead of them is the only way to keep things calm and productive. If you’ve seen extra boxes showing up or me walking around with bees all over me, this is why.

And since people always ask:

A nuc (nucleus colony) is basically a small, already-functioning hive — frames of brood, food, and a queen that’s already laying.

A package is a box of bees with a caged queen and no brood or comb — they start from scratch.

I’ll get into those more next week, but the short version is: swarms are why splits matter, and splits are the foundation of every nuc you’ve ever bought.