The document discusses spring preparations for beekeeping including checking colonies, removing dead hives, and techniques to prevent swarming like nectar management, splitting hives, and notching frames. Nectar management involves checkerboarding honey frames with empty comb to break the honey cap and delay swarming. Splitting hives involves moving frames of brood and the queen to a nuc box to create a new colony and notching frames in the original hive to induce queen cell raising. Additional resources are provided on various splitting and nectar management techniques.

1. F E B R U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

2. F E B R U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 M E E T I N G
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3. S P R I N G P R E P A R A T I O N S
F E B R U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

5. S P R I N G P R E P A R A T I O N S
Since Spring is obviously here, regardless of the calendar date, take steps to
be ready
• If you have colonies that made it, get into them and check status. Ours are
laying brood
• If you have dead-outs, take them down, clean them out and keep honey
frames (if any) for bolstering struggling colonies in the next few months.

6. S P R I N G P R E P A R A T I O N S
Stronger colonies are preparing to swarm, as this is their means of
reproducing. There are ways to manage this behavior, but it cannot be
reactionary.
• Nectar Management
• Swapping positions
• Splits with queens

7. N E C T A R M A N A G E M E N T
Nectar Management can be done early on in the spring, to allow more room
in the hive, and therefore interrupts the preparation to swarm.
Technique documented by Walt Wright, also known as Checkerboarding

8. N E C T A R
M A N A G E M E N T
1. Pull off any overwintered supers until
you hit the brood nest
2. Add an empty super, and then alternate
honey frames with drawn empty comb
3. Add an additional super, again
alternating the frames, but starting with
the opposite frame type (if the first
frame in the lower super was a honey
frame, start with an empty drawn
frame).

9. N E C T A R
M A N A G E M E N T
The colony pictured has one deep box,
followed by the checkerboarded supers, and
lastly a super with just drawn comb.
The result: The “Honey Cap” is now broken,
giving the impression of low honey stores.
Since one of the drives in preparation to swarm
is to have surplus honey reserve, swarming is
delayed.
Since the colony cannot backfill into the brood
nest, the queen is still laying heavily and the
workers are still bringing in nectar and
producing more honey.

10. S W A P P I N G P O S I T I O N S
You may find that, if you overwintered with more than one box, that the bees
have moved up onto the top box, especially if they have eaten into their
reserves.
Swapping the position of the boxes, so that the brood nest is again at the
bottom, will play in to the bees’ natural tendency to want to move up in the
hive. They will have the impression of more room, and again, may be less
inclined to swarm.
Later in the season, when they have moved back up into the top box, the now
empty lower box can be moved back on top.

11. S P L I T S
Making a Swarm Prevention Split
Equipment required for each hive.
• A five frame nuc hive with five frames
and foundation.
• A feeder and syrup.

12. S P L I T S
Timing
One week before swarm season starts is the best time to make this swarm
prevention split. When does swarm season start? Check with other
beekeepers in the area. Check with your county agricultural extension office.
In our county, March 20 is the start of swarm season. This can vary a few
days due to weather.

13. S P L I T S
Make a Split
A strong colony is preparing to swarm. Find the queen. She could be anywhere in
the hive but most of the time she is in the brood area. If you don’t find the queen today
try again tomorrow.
Locate two frames of capped brood and move them to the nuc hive. Keep the nurse
bees on the frames of brood. Move the queen to the nuc. If there are not many
workers in the nuc shake bees from one or two brood frames into the nuc. The brood
must be kept warm by the nurse bees. Fill up the nuc hive with frames and
foundation. Move the nuc to a permanent location and feed until the main nectar flow
starts.

14. S P L I T S
Notch One Frame
In the now queenless hive find one frame of young (less than 36-hour old)
larvae. Notch 8 to 10 cells and return the frame to the middle of the brood
frames. Place two frames and foundation just outside of the brood frames to
fill up the super. Don't separate the brood with frames of foundation.

15. S P L I T S
Notching
Notching is removing the lower 1/3 of a
cell to the foundation that contains a
less than 36-hour old worker larvae.
Don't touch the larvae. The less than
36-hour old larvae are not much larger
than an egg and are sitting in a large
pool of royal jelly. The comb is pressed
into the foundation for about an inch
below the notched cell. This allows the
workers to make a vertical queen cell.

16. S P L I T S
Walk Away…
The Notch will give the bees a good place to start a new queen, and once the
process is started, I have found that sticking my nose in does not help one bit.
It is important to give the queen time to hatch, strengthen, get mated and
laying, before disrupting the hive.
Close the hive and don't inspect for a queen for 30 days. After 30 days a
strong colony making honey requiring more supers is a good indication that
the hive is queenright.

17. I ’ V E G O T B E E S , B U T D O N ’ T K N O W W H A T T O D O
N E X T ! ! !
•

18. Nectar Management - Walt Wright
• Prevent Swarming – Before The Bees Even Think About It -
http://beesource.com/point-of-view/walt-wright/prevent-swarming-before-the-
bees-even-think-about-it/
• Increased Honey Production of Checkerboarded Colonies -
http://beesource.com/point-of-view/walt-wright/increased-honey-production-of-
checkerboarded-colonies/
• CB Saves Work, Time, And Expenses - http://beesource.com/point-of-view/walt-
wright/cb-saves-work-time-and-expenses/

19. Splitting using OTS method - Mel Disselkoen
• http://www.mdasplitter.com/index.php
• http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?303981-Mel-
Disselkoen-method
• http://www.tanglewoodapiary.com/2013/06/20/mel-disselkoen-speaks-
about-on-the-spot-ots-queen-rearing/

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