Big mistake in doing a honey bee split 

Once again, another excellent video David. Your humility is refreshing!

Awww that's what happened to my spilt! I couldn't figure out why there was some dead bees in the cell. Makes sense now. Thanks for always showing this kind of information. It helps us newbees.

Your videos are right on, I would have made the same mistake if I had had more nucs. We just got our 3 frame nucs built and I think it is safe now to go ahead and split the swarms we caught into them. YOU ARE AWESOME!! We took the plans you gave us for 2 frame and added a frame to it. They are turning out beautiful, We are also making our frames so I don't run low as fast with these 3 frame. I have a bunch of 5 frame nucs doing well. Thank you for all your great videos!! I am about an hour from you so our temps are pretty close. Soon as I get some spare advantech I am coming your way.

Thanks. I've been looking for answers you just gave me. I have learned more from your videos than any where else. Keep up the good work.

I love your videos, if I lived closer, I would love to do a internship with you. Not only do you have the skills and experience, but you have a real talent for explaining

Great video, it shows us that no one is perfect and we can all learn from these mishaps. I'm loving the bees I received the day before yesterday from you, they are very happy in their new home!

Thanks for this video. I had the same experience with my first attempt at using these two frames mini nucs and had become extremely discouraged so this was a helpful video and one of encouragement to not give up on this method.

Thank you David, good information. I agree with others, its the people who are doing things that risk making a mistake. Others risk nothing - but accomplish nothing as well.

Thanks for another great video 👍. I learn something new every time you show me another video.

This cold weather has really been messing with us here in the Northeast too. I just put in 2 packages split 4 ways the other night in 45deg temps and light rain. I did as much prep as I could in doors, quickly put everything in place said a prayer and pulled the can. Checked 48hrs later when I added a feeder and I was 4/4 at that time. Fingers crossed they continue to thrive.

Good video! I like those 2 frame hives, in going to have to make some.My queen I got from you last summer is doing great.Im looking forward to getting my package of bees from you next month.

Thanks for the video David.

I run into same thing David today. Had to put another frame in today. Thanks. Good video buddy

I studied entomology in college Bees and butterfly we're allwas my Favorite I love your channel

I did a split late Autumn and then we had a cold snap, so I put a hot water bottle and a blanket on every night and I managed to save the split.

Thanks for the info! Love your videos!

Another good video , especially for newbies,we have all pushed the envelope,but bet you have also done a lot of doing what they say can't be done rolling like that,keep em coming !!

Thanks for the Barnyard Bee's Quick Tip

Thanks for the video. Good info. Jim from Eagle Point, Oregon

Good information, thanks for sharing. Weather is finally beginning to break in Ohio, but still cold at night, hopefully doing splits and swarms soon.

Did our 1st split in a top bar and just put a divider in the middle of a top bar hive which was halfway built up. Moved half the combs to one side and made sure there was a couple frames of brand new eggs laid that day and now we have at least 7 queen cells built and we got high hopes

Only people who do things make mistakes, they are the one's who achieve success, enjoy your videos. All the best from sunny Wales

Thanks for all you do

Thanks for keeping it real David

Great video this same thing happened to me this spring. Keep up the regular videos.

Thanks for sharing, this is my first year as a beekeeper.❤️✝️

I've been experimenting with reptile heat tape to remedy this. Seems to be working so far...

Thanks for the guidance. Cold brood is dead brood. We are chomping at the bit to receive our Nucs, but the guy says they aren't ready.

David, Great videos and such great info for us newbie beekeepers. I have a question on the 2-frame Nucs. How do they stay standing in inclement weather given they are so narrow? Does the brick on top work fine or do you have to tie them down?

When I've made this mistake, the prognoses was around 59F (15C) for the next week. Ti had dropped down to 38F (3C)

David, if you don't mind, what's your camera and sound setup or phone you are using? The separation of sound in earphones is great. The nature of you moving from side to side and the occasional bee flying past on the right comes right through.

great info. thanks David !

Thanks David!

Am from the tropics 🇯🇲 to be exact. I do my splits with 4 main thing. Day old egg, brew, lil honey and enough worker bee mixed with 4/8 drones.

That mini nuc is at the end of the row. Maybe you can put your mini nucs in the center and push them together to help with keeping them warm. Some beekeepers push their hives together in the winter to help with heat as well

we finally got a good day here in NH for me to inspect my hive that survived all winter, i gave them syrup and a pollen patty but when i finally got to go into hive yesterday its a small cluster and the queen is not laying a lot kind of hoping she knows they are a small hive and knows she cant just start laying eggs nights are still cool. i may just take a couple frames from a package i installed a few weeks ago to help them out.

Very informative video. Thanks

Hey David thanks for all these videos, I have 2 new hives started in 8 frame equipment, I live 35 miles North of Houston we are having 60-65 morning mid 80's most days I used screen bottom boards do you think they need screened inner covers as well? or is that maybe the 95-100 coming in July

My father told me, the day you didn't make a mistake is a day you didn't do anything, and that is a mistake! Just try to keep the mistake small and learn to live with them!

Thanks..good one! We all learn more from our mistakes than from easy perfect.

Thank you for your great work. Quick question. What would be the best way to do the split and keep both mother hive and new nuc/hive on the same general area/yard?

What material are those hives made of? It looks like some variety of osb. I have been doing research into using advantech for mine.

Your mistake was fixed it " seems"...I made this mistake without the fix. I checked them 3 days after split saw the queen cells built figured it was all good in 2 weeks have a queen. Well ..I "walked away "... should have kept closer watch. Alot of The capped brood I relied on ,never hatched. And even though It never got below the 50's f.,there was not enough bees in the 2 frames out of the 5 frame nuc box. It probably would of worked if I used the 2 framer. Lesson learned. 1 question..how do you feed with 2 framers? That's why I went with 5 framer . Thanks for your content ,super helpful. Stay buzzed!

Great video!

god bless you.i learnt something from you today.thanks bro

David, thanks for another informative video. Appreciate you taking the time to explain clearly! I made 4 mini nucs using your dimensions, trying to make some queens. I made the splits April 21 so hopeful they are capping queen cells now!

Great video, thanks for sharing

I have chosen this video to ask this question. Dave, what is your opinion on the amounts of varroa mites are affected by the amounts of new comb always being prepared by your bees. I am asking this for the reason of better propagation less treatment and less exposure to the hives from the hives being so young as in a winter dead out as well. That being asked what about force sizing the bees back to original natural sized bees do to the lack of need for red clover sized bees here in American colonies as compared to the needs of European red clover and honey producers needs there and here.

Thank you

Do you have to keep a feeder on a 2 frame mini nuc ?

Same thing happened to me following your method. Oh well. I’ll do some more later this summer.

Going into my second year here in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Bees have been bringing in pollen like crazy for nearly 2 months. Now the forecast is rain for a couple weeks. Still high 30's low 40's in the evenings. Been feeding Pollen Patties for a month or more and we started feeding 2:1 Syrup about 2 weeks ago. Bees are exploding out of my double deeps. I have set up some 2 frame mating nucs so that I can do some walk away splits in a few weeks. Are there any tips that you can give me to make this more successful. Last year we grafted and raised our own queens. This year I would just like to try walk away splits. But I'm a bit nervous. Looking forward to your reply. Thank you - Helen

David would you do a video on what you do about getting moisture in a Hive and it kills all of the bee's

Does garlic good for the bees if we put it in the hive ?

I have lived bees since I was a child rescuing them from or pool. 😁 so my passion is to just have bees and enjoy them pollinate the world around me.

I'm in central Oklahoma. Had that same problem with that same front that got you. Hit 28 deg that night here. Also lost 2 queens and a lot of bees. All the hives had broke cluster and had brood everywhere. On one hive, when it got cold, they tried to cluster again, but we're on one side of the bottom box, and the opposite side in the upper box. The cluster in the upper survived, but I lost the queen I'm the lower, smaller cluster. Rolled the dice doing some splits, and lost.

Hey there David @ Barnyard Bees, thanks for all the great info, I am in my first year and trying to put into practice the information from both you and FBM. I put 2 packages in on 4/15, (1 in a 5 frame, and 1 in a 10 frame) and will be picking up at least one nuc tonight (2 if they'll let me). Obviously the packages aren't ready to split up (without buying queens anyway) but I am hoping to get some queens started and into your 2 frame nucs as soon as possible. Weather has been a bit funky, which is why my nuc was delayed, and why I did not buy extra queens with the packages. Spring is finally peeking out, and looks like it may stabilize. My question is : Which method would be the best to get queen cells out of a purchased nuc? 1. leave them in 5 frames until they crowd up and make swarm cells? or 2. immed take out a frame of eggs into a mating nuc (WITH enough bees! Lesson learned from this vid ) My worry here was would they have enough jelly to make more than 1 cell/good queens? - Feeders are assumed - i am putting the sugar to them all atm. (2nd question, is it possible to overfeed a package placed in a nuc? They are sucking it down so fast I am actually worried they may be limiting the queen, as there is not abundant storage and laying space drawn out yet) I can monitor as needed.

Barnyard Bees Hey David, I've noticed that you have a lot of hives built out of OSB. Do these hives last very long being OSB and do you use Kilts or a primer before painting them? Also is that 3/4" OSB? Thanks

I bought 6 5 frame nucs. I plan on splitting them into 3 frame mini nucs and giving them each a mated queen. I'm doing this in Montana. I will pick up my nucs I bought on April 11 from Spokane Washington. I'm trying to double my nucs right off . It gets warmer in may but april usually frost is gone. Do u think this can be done successfully? Thanks Bob Day

David, would this work with medium 5 frame nucs and 2 frame mini nuc?.

I'm new to this. But wouldn't it help to insulate nuc if you have only one or two

Thanks !!

is that fishing line that is going diagonally across your frame? Do you do that instead of the foundation sheets?

Why you didn't put any honey to secure the split maintaining the new split...

David I live in North Carolina this year March 06 2021 I have split is it to early ? The old hives got the old queen in it way did the old hive get aggressive?? Can you help on this thank you God bless y’all

I know about catching swarms. Have a lot of native bees around. But don't know how to build a new hive or frames. Help me please. Thank you for replying. I want to start. I have some lumber around and a table saw..

Just installed two nucs today Just north of Baton Rouge and by the late afternoon they were bring in pollen like there's no tomorrow.

This looks to be a great bee year flower wise

lost 6 splits this year with the cold snap in march

In Florida when can I make splits

I did the same thing. Started too early, and lost 3 nucs.

I have a hive of bees that don't seem to have a queen. What should I do? It was a swarm that moved into my travel trailer that I relocated into a bee kit I bought at Tractor Supply. It's been about 3 months and they still look busy but the hive is not growing, it is shrinking if anything. I'm in south Florida so we haven't seen cold weather since they moved in. Very new beekeeper here.Thanks for any help!

Too little number of working bees to cover brood during cold, when you split, you have to be sure that smaller hives have enough bees.

I have flowering trees from early spring and flower from there thru fall. 80 acres a pond and plenty of food.. I can grow a little from there. Not to big.

this is common problem when you split hives in the same apiary

Hey David. Been watchin you a year or so and always wanted to ask you. "You put to rest the idea of cell builders. You only use two frames of bees to make queens when most say you need a ton of nurse bees?"

I've been noticing though your videos, your using OSB as your box material. How have you been finding it to hold up, and is it a exterior grade OSB?

Middle of June, just made 2 frame splits, night temp 35. Nature can be cruel :(.

I had that happen twice already this year it'll be 70 degrees then out the blue a 30° would drop in

I live in Jamaica so I make split anytime of the year

After 42 years of having bees, I have never had a colony that mean: including Russians. I would shake them through a queen excluder and pinch the queen and do alcohol washes on the drones to get some value out of them and put a stop to their genetics. May sound like over kill, but I like bees to enjoy and not devil possessed and try to carry me to hell in a bee suit! Maybe I am sheltered here in New Hampshire. Thank you for sharing brother...

consider getting a macro lense.........................

👍👍

David I live down here just south of Atlanta and I can't seem to find a beekeeper around me that will let me watch or participate in the hive inspection. I really feel like I would need to get a few inspections under my belt before I should take a box home with me. Any tips?

So it’s ok to do a split with bees from 2 different hives?

Please consider me. Or my dreams of bees may be never. I'm 57 have been studying for a year. So I think I will do all right. I can get tools and suit.

I was already subscribed I'm pretty sure and just had to subscribe again. ??

*Crap happens :/*