# When is the best time to split?



## DownHome (Jan 20, 2006)

How do I know when it is time to do a split? Aside from tearing the whole hive apart. About what time of year should I start looking for signs? and what signs do I look for?

thanks all
downhome


----------



## no1cowboy (May 2, 2004)

> and what signs do I look for?


Drones!
You need to have drones in order to make queens from your splits, so if you see lots of drones in your hive thats an indacator that you can start making your splits. and the hive your splitting needs to be strong enough to split.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Here in Michigan we have two dates we work with. 
If buying a queen to put in the split we will do the spilit as soon as the night time temps are adverageing 45F and install the new queen. Many years that is near the end of April to early May.

If we are going to raise our own queens we watch the drone cells. As the drones begin to hatch we split as the drones will be ready when the new queens go on the mating flights.
If you watch the drone cells right you can time it so the new queens and drones hatch at the same time.

 Al


----------



## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

alleyyooper said:


> If you watch the drone cells right you can time it so the new queens and drones hatch at the same time.


Al, 
Don't the drones need a bigger head start? I've read in Larry Conner's _Bee Sex Essentials_ that drones need to be around 12 days or older before they're sexually mature. Similarly, Michael Bush's "bee math" shows drones 10 days older than a newly mated queen:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm


----------



## beerancher (Dec 30, 2008)

here in kansas i split in late april early may and split clear up into august if i can buy a queen. another good indicator to split is when you see swarm cells you just as well split than let them swarm


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

While the drones should idealy be 10 days old, the queen can be as old as 14 days before mateing. 

 Al


----------



## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

I was talking with Kim Flottum (Editor of Bee Culture) last year and he is recommending summer splits as an IPM way of controlling varroa mites by breaking their reproductive cycle.

Haven't tried it myself.

Mike


----------

