# Just finished doing my first-ever split!



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I decided to split my strongest hive today. That SHOULD give them with enough time to get set up for the winter.

It went like this.

1. bring the stuff outside and set up the new hive.
2. Smoke hive.
3. Go inside and bring out something to pry with: I forgot to bring out the hive tool
4. Re-light the smoker and smoke the hive again. Onlu got a little smoke.
5. Re-stuff the smoker with cardboard and light again.
6. Pry off the top box, set it aside and smoke the top of the lower brood box.
7. Start moving the frames to the new hive. 
Now, I HAD meant to move 8 frames to the new hive, making sure to move the queen so that the hive with the queen would have the young bees to raise the brood. I just wanted to leave the old hive with enough brood to make a queen with.
Alas, I got too hot and my back started to give out. So, I moved just 5 brood frames and decided that was all I could do.
8. Closed up the hives.

I can see that I shall have to start exercizing. Something like bending over with weights in my outstretched hands, while standing with bended knees. I can see that I have been exercizing ALL the WRONG muscles! :haha:


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## vtfarma (May 6, 2003)

One thing that helped us avoid the "run n get" syndrome was that we took a plastic tool box and put all of our stuff in it that we use for the bees. We also have kids that "own" the hives so that they come help and we have a little more mobility to get things done. 

Also, I will agree that the finger that clicks the clicker really does not help with the bees. :haha:


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi Terri, I found that I can keep everything in a large plastic Rubbermaide tub w/lid. I put my veil,gloves,suite,tools, smokerfuel (cut up a pair of old jeans,into 10x6 inch strips, roll it up and use it in your smoker..I usually let in go for a few minutes so it is not 'hot'), lighter,notebook and pen and anything else I will need at the hives.. I can 'get' everything in one quick trip and be ready to go in a second! 
Use you notebook and pad after each trip to the hives. To write down what you want./need to do next trip. Write down any thing that you need to work on or check.It really helps.


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## justgojumpit (May 5, 2003)

i made my first split yesterday. i took one frame of half eggs and young brood, half capped brood from my strong hive, one frame of brood of varying ages from my strong hive, one frame of honey from my weak hive, and one frame of capped brood from my weak hive. i added one frame of foundation to fill my five-frame nuc box. now i will let this nuc box raise its queen. three queen cells already on frames from the strong hive, just one day later (no eggs or young brood from the weak hive to make queens from) the idea is to let this queen, raised from the strong hive, mature and mate, then once i see some eggs in that nuc, i will kill the queen in the weak hive, wait a day, and then, using 5 frames of foundation to fill the rest of a hive body, combine the nuc with my weak hive, using the newspaper method. this will theoretically put a strong queen into my weak hive, without ever giving the weak hive any downtime. and both hives could spare two frames each without too much of a loss. we'll see how this works.


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