# Split colony overlap.



## Usingmyrights (Jan 10, 2011)

I hope I worded that right. I've got a couple colonies now and had an offer from someone up the road to keep some at their place for the pollination. As the bee flies its maybe 2 miles between locations. Obviously there's going to be an overlap in their forging area. My question is how likely is it that the original field workers will return to the original hive? I assume it won't be an issue in the long run as the nurse bees turn to field bees and know that as their only hive. So what's your thoughts on it? Worth it to gain an extra few miles of forging area or more trouble than it's worth. I dont see access being an issue to maintain the hives/harvest honey.


----------



## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

that far they will be ok ,,,, they will return to the right place


----------



## Usingmyrights (Jan 10, 2011)

Do you think it's worth it to have two locations that close together?


----------



## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

One of our local beekeepers has about 20 top bar hives spaced about 20' apart at the edge of a woods. He has no shortage of honey.

Martin


----------



## Usingmyrights (Jan 10, 2011)

I'm not worried about spacing at the same location. I mean having to pack up my gear and drive down the road to a second location to maintain/harvest. Plus we have hive inspections here so thatd be another place to be inspected.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We do it every spring, summer and fall in 8 different locations now.
If it is just one colony and you don't get any thing from it except a place to put one colony that you could have at home I say don't bother. But if you have to many colonies at home then it's a place to put the extras.

 Al,


----------



## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

I'm still very new here, but I'd only start spreading out my hives to other locations if the ones at my home weren't getting enough food for their own winter needs... and some extra for us.


----------



## Usingmyrights (Jan 10, 2011)

Ive only got two at home now. Every time I was planning on doing a split the bees would decide to swarm a few days before. I'm hoping thatll I'll be able to get a couple splits off each hive next year if they build up like they did last year. I owe somebody one for letting me use their hunting property so If I get two splits off each hive I can add to my location and down the road. It might be worth it just to be able to stop by to maintain the hives because the guy seems to have a good nit of knowledge on various things.


----------



## Monica33 (Jul 11, 2012)

I wouldn't think with such a small number of colonies that it would be worth it but if you do then do it. Sometimes what you gain is worth the extra trip. And if you intend to increase your number of colonies then you might want to foster this outyard now. Goodwill of neighbors, your community reputation for returning favors and your word of honor are important.
To prevent field bees from returning to old location confine the colony at night, move them to the new location and before opening at new location put something like a branch up against the new opening so the bees have to fly through the branch. This will cause the field bees to reorient themselves when leaving the new location and they wont go back to the old one. Depending on what kinds of splits you are doing (adding queens?, queen cells? or swarm cells? forced?) I would move the part of the split that you know has the old queen to the new location and leave the new splits at home that way the field bees that didn't go with her won't know where she went and you can keep a closer eye on the splits.
Seems like your timing is a bit off with the splits. Prepare first, have materials on hand. And when you think ... "I'll do a split soon", do it right then instead (look for an 80 percent full colony not 100 percent full or as soon as you see swarmcells). Also I have extra brood boxes aka "swarm traps" set in two trees via pulley and rope and on two posts around my bee yard if my bees happen to swarm I want to catch them. Each "trap" has a frame with a small amount of partially drawn new comb on it (for the bee smell) and I also put in some lemongrass oil and stuck some propolis and burr comb scrapings near the entrance.


----------

