Can I just buy a mated queen and take some brood, honey and bees from a strong hive? Instead of waiting to either catch the swarm or split when they make a swarm Queen cell.

Nic Williams: Yes that’s making a split the fast way

Kevin McCormick: Yep you sure can.

Wm McNett: That’s what I have planned for the 2 queens coming ?

Dean Haskin: Absolutely!

Chemaine Goring: If they made a swarm cell and its capped do you move this frame to new hive and kill queen cell?

Gary Kelley: Yes 3 brood 2 honey and some sticky’s and you have a new hive just separate by a fair distance. I usually take them about 2klms away

Conrad Vohland: Sure can.

Darko Marko: Yep.. my favourite method of doubling hive numbers in swarm season.

Gary Kelley: I always do this way made 20 new hives this season

Darko Marko: Gary Kelley I’m planning on doubling up this swarm season..

Gary Kelley: Darko Marko good luck to you I’m only adding 10 this season

Darko Marko: Gary Kelley Thanks good luck to you friend

Dee Hatcher: Do it all the time…I hate seeing $$$ flying away.☹

James Slemp: Nick if done early you can take old Q out of colony with few frames of brood larvae and food and give them there own box in your be yard then feed colony you took them from and that whole colony will now be in Q cell building mode building probably 6 or more cells then about 10 days from split you could set up many nucs with the Q cells built and leave them two cells to take over.

Nick Thompson: I might try that early spring next year! Once I get nucs built and more hive boxes to transfer them into. I only have one extra setup right now and was just trying to be at 3 hives by fall. The end of next year 5, and so on.

Tim Huffman: Yes. Mail ordering a queen from time to time is a great way to introduce genetic diversity into your bee yard without relying on local drone population. Sure, it can be an added expense; but if you are purchasing great queens from great queen breeders it can certainly help introduce beneficial traits which may be lacking into the local gene pool

Glenn Hile: Easiest and most successful way to do it.

Nick Thompson: Found a guy 20 miles away that sells queens. Should turn 2 hives into 4, within about 3 weeks

Ben Petrone: where/

Glenn Hile: You can make bees or make honey…..

Tim Huffman: you can do both here in Florida, lol

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