Dividing Hives -- where to locate the divides?

[TLWalters]

I have two hives that need to split before they swarm. I've just been waiting for the nights to warm up a bit here. They are in a really nice fenced orchard, so there is room for the two originals and the splits.

So the opinion of one of our local beekeeping gurus is that you have to then remove the splits at least a mile away. This would make life difficult as I can't bring them home because of the snarky neighbors with the hot tub. Tho I will winter them all here. I just don't want to deal with the neighbors now.

So do I need to move the splits to another location or will the other side of this 20acres be okay? Or just the other side of the orchard? My Beekeeping for Dummies does not address this.

Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

>So the opinion of one of our local beekeeping gurus is that you have to then remove the splits at least a mile away.

I've never done it.  What you do have to do is allow for and minimize drift.  Allowing is shaking extra bees into the split.  Minimizing is putting a branch in front of the door to get them to reorient.

>So do I need to move the splits to another location or will the other side of this 20acres be okay?

That would be a bad idea.  Right next door or 2 miles works.  A long ways but less than 2 miles is bad.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm

[TLWalters]

Thanks for the input and quick response. Yes I was just reading a paper  from one of the Universities about putting the divides next to the original which makes a lot more sense to me. Also its much more doable right now. I'll go that route.

Thank you!
Tracy

[Cindi]

Reading old posts.  About splits.  I heard some information that if a nuc/split is made, closing up the hive for about 7 days helps to keep the bees in their new home once the hive has been opened back up.  Wonder if 7 days is long enough for the bees to forget the orienation of their old hive and orient to their new home?  Haven't tried it, but gotta wonder if this would cause too much congestion in the hive.  I imagine it would work if screen was put over the bottom and top entrance for air, but without allowing bees to go out.  Input here?

[Michael Bush]

>I heard some information that if a nuc/split is made, closing up the hive for about 7 days helps to keep the bees in their new home once the hive has been opened back up.

If they are still alive after 7 days of confinement, MOST (but not all) will stay with the new location.  But if you do it 72 hours the same number will stay with the new location.  At 48 hours a lot of them will stay with the new location.  At 24 hours more of them will stay at the new location than if you don't confine them.

I never confine them, I just shake twice as many bees in as I want to stay and don't worry about it.

>  Wonder if 7 days is long enough for the bees to forget the orienation of their old hive and orient to their new home?

Forget?  No.  Reorient?  Yes.

>  Haven't tried it, but gotta wonder if this would cause too much congestion in the hive.

Most hives in hot weather would not survive.  At all.

>  I imagine it would work if screen was put over the bottom and top entrance for air, but without allowing bees to go out.  Input here?

I've never tried to confine them more than 72 hours and that's pushing it.  Even then you'll need to provide water and air, besides some syrup and probably some pollen.

[Cindi]

Michael, great information, that makes all total sense.  So, any time that I do this thing I will give many extra bees, sounds like the most soundest and simplest of all.  I did not realize that perhaps after 7 days many of the bees would be dead.  Horrid thought, not one that I would like to at all enterain.  If I do anything with a hive, like moving it a little bit, (for one reason or another), I always put a bunch of branches or something really different than what they are used to.  This makes them take note of the difference in their hive right?  They are actually very similar to us.  If there was something different at the end of our driveway, we would probably look at it very closely to make sure that when we return we come back to the same place, lol.  Great day. Cindi

[Michael Bush]

They are a lot like us.  They will take note and STILL some will go on autopilot and fly back to the old place.    But IF they took note they are more likely to sort it out by remembering where the hive was.  You can't remember where it was if you don't take note.