And then there were 5

[pokeyjeeper]

My Kenya top bar hive was getting too full so last week I made 2 five comb splits I cut them off the bars and rubber banded them to Langstroth deep frames a friend of mine got 60 mated saskatraz queens so a got two from him and added them to the two nuc’s here’s some pictures

[pokeyjeeper]

Well the queens are out and laying up every cell

[swampcat]

Fantastic, glad things are going well with the bees..

I noticed this morning my buckwheat was in bloom and the bees are out working it..

been covered up with the garden work and its so hot I really haven't checked my bees in a while but I really need to.. maybe one morning soon..

well maybe I should buy a couple of queens and try what you did.. been just letting the bees make they own queens and it really hasn't worked well for me.. Seems I am learning all the hard way about bees.. thats what I get for being hard headed.. Golden rod is almost about to bloom here..and I just sowed a good piece in buckwheat a week ago..

[pokeyjeeper]

So far so good swampcat if you look at the tall hive on the left I have 3 deep boxes on it a friend of mine told me to do this as I don’t have drawn comb to get the two nuc’s going fast for winter so the white box was a just waxed plastic foundation when I put it on there and the bees have been busy I now have the nuc’s two boxes high I’m hoping to get two brood cycles in 8 frame double deep hives out of them nuc’s before winter sets in

[swampcat]

Thats great and about what I really should have done.. I was thinking to keep every thing in medium boxes.. I was using 2 frames 5 frames and two 8 frame hives, one 8 frame was from a nuc my son in law bought.. it was a deep so I'm in for a 8 frame deep.. I am keeping two of the splits under sheds which so far I like they seem to be doing well.. I had a couple of splits in the woods... and they didn't make it.. one was taken over by wax moth, the other just never thrived.

Next season I am going to be thinking to build up with lots more space for the bees.. I wanted to crowd them this season, but it just hasn't worked the way I planned.. as it got hotter down here I got busier and it seemed it was either to hot or raining to do anything this season. Not brave enough yet to go with out the jacket..

I really liked the 2 frames and thinking I will use them more in the spring for splits.. then move up later to 5s and 8s..