So slack lately with posts but four splits done today

So, a lot has happened since last post

Forgive my slackness – work life & personal life too stressed last 2 years.

During which from a bee keeping perspective - 

           I lost hives, 

                  I found and cuaght swarms, 

                     and I lost more hives

Focused on building numbers again

Got to change my career to bees full time. Well once I have enough hives (250-300 is the plan)

So, I made some more brood boxes from left over scrap timber from last box building spree. Now hoping pollination fees for current hives can help me buy 200x hot waxed and painted super boxes, 2200x wood framed plastic waxed foundation, 100x NUPLAS bits (vented bases, 10 frame feeders and lids)

that’s about 30k plus freight needed - uugghh that hurts!! But its is what it takes to get the hive numbers up without anymore free timber to make my own

Been helping on occasional weekends with a commercial keeper 3hours south of Darwin - super hot conditions but heaps and heaps of learning.

While there last time, due to the flowering about to happen in area, after inspection of 150 hives and prepping 60 more for pollination services (60 already on site), we added more than 350 ideal sized supers to hives. Every hive not going to pollination had two or three supers (a few four ideals high) in anticipation of massive flow about to happen.

Then this weekend.......

While I wasn't planning as of yesterday to do the following but this Sunday I was bored so......

So did 4x walk away splits on four of my hives this morning. I was for these four hives for the last few weeks - feeding syrup and finally this Sunday the high quantity of bees, brood and then a few capped drone cells prompted me to get at it rather than wait another week

Several weeks ago, in anticipation of this scenario, I added an extra 10 frame brood box to each of these hives when the bees were hanging out front each evening with so many bees in each hive - huge beards of them.

Back then I took four frames of brood from original brood box and put in middle of new brood box - arranging empty frames around the brood frames in both brood boxes creating a brood chamber in centre of the combined two brood boxes

I also due to scarcity of a honey flow - heavily substituted food in a feeder box on top of each hive - sugar syrup - that the ladies have been emptying from the feeders almost as soon as I top them up (every two days topping up current plan)

So, creating an artificial boom flow for each hive

They have also been collecting heaps of pollen, I assume from native long grass in the area surrounding our block (but not much if any nectar stores seen in combs)

Now today with at least 6 very full brood frames in each brood box, hopes are high.

That’s 8 brood boxes in total - so 48 frames of brood. All hives would be bursting at box joints very soon if I didn’t split 

Heaps and heaps of capped brood - these are my most prolific and gentle queens that I have - why I used them for this double brood box for split trial

Also, with a few spots on corner of some brood frames of drone cells - it is perfect time to split before they swarm

When rebuilding chook shed recently, I extended roof out from chook shed 1.5m to use for a bee lean-to type shelter - less rain & sun on hives - tropical wet season are very very hard on the boxes and the bees in them

So had a spot ready for the splits here next to chook shed

A stand was shifted into this new location, 4 more bases and lids - as too for each hive - a feeder box and an ideal super (space for when all that brood hatches)

Without searching for queen - I took one of brood boxes to new location placing on bottom board, adding super and feeder and lid

Repeated this for each of the four hives I had been preparing

Whichever box has queen will keep doing what it was doing. While the queenless box will make some queens from recently laid eggs - hopefully anyway, and if a new queen makes it back from mating flight (lots of dragon flies around currently) a successful walk away split accomplished. 

An inspection in a few weeks will tell me which brood box has retained the original queen. If a new queen not showing signs of existence, can add a frame of eggs and brood from a brood box with a queen to try again to get a queen made

With more hives the plan this year - also making up some more frames to do it all over again in 8-10 weeks this time with 8 double brood box hives - have sooooo learned from past mistakes (still learning too)

Here’s hoping for the successes of these walk away splits

Hoping too - a honey flow starts now wet season almost done

Would love to harvest some honey (keep using honey frames in splits)

If I can get and keep hive numbers up - keen for some small scale queen raising later in year - that will be heaps fun!

Need to 3D print some more hive doors and syrup feeders this week too. 

Side note: I was short 4x 3D printed feeders for the splits so used the zip lock bag method for feeding syrup

Sugar syrup in zip lock bag (freezer type strongest) - half fill, lay on top of frames under lid punch a few holes on topside of bag with bamboo skewer. This in middle area, on this I placed a large metal nut - sags in middle and syrup doesn’t run out. Bees don’t mind it at all.