Splitting the Hive: From One Colony to Three
Spring buildup, a near-swarm, and an unexpected switch from Carniolan to Italian queens
I’m looking to expand the apiary this year, so over the past couple of months I’ve been focused on building up the population from a single overwintered colony. I combined everything going into winter, then began feeding 1:1 sugar syrup in late winter to stimulate egg laying and encourage population growth.
Working with Carniolan bees adds an extra layer to that process. They’re known for building up quickly in early spring, which is great for productivity - but it also means you’re always walking a fine line with swarming.
In early April, I happened to be near the bee yard when I noticed a surge of activity and a distinct change in the sound of the hive. It had that loud, restless tone that makes you stop what you’re doing. My read was that they were preparing to swarm.
With some quick action, I added another box to give them more space, and the colony settled down almost immediately.
By that point, we had worked them up to three deep boxes of drawn comb.
Yesterday, I split the colony into three.
We redistributed frames so that each new colony was generally structured like this (left to right):
resource frame → open brood → capped brood → open brood → drawn comb → partial/drawn comb → resources
The goal was to give each split a balanced mix of brood at different stages, food, and space to grow.
I decided to order two queens this year, hoping the time savings - compared to letting the bees raise their own - would translate into faster buildup and better resource production this season.
When I went to pick up the queens, though, there was a curveball.
The Carniolan queens I had ordered hadn’t arrived.
Instead, I came home with two Italian queens.
I’ll be honest - I was disappointed. I’ve been extremely happy with how docile and manageable our Carniolans have been.
Here’s a video clip of one of the new queens in her cage, surrounded by her attending worker bees. The white dot on her thorax is a paint mark that makes her much easier to spot on the frames. Queen marking follows a standard color code that rotates every five years so beekeepers can quickly identify her age: white (years ending in 1 or 6), yellow (2 or 7), red (3 or 8), green (4 or 9), and blue (5 or 0). Since this queen was raised in 2026, she’s marked white - so if she’s still in the hive a couple of years from now, I’ll be able to tell her age at a glance.
Carniolan vs. Italian Honeybees
Since I didn’t get the queens I planned for, it’s a good opportunity to talk through the differences between these two common honeybee stocks.
Carniolan bees (Apis mellifera carnica)
Extremely gentle and easy to work
Rapid spring buildup, closely tied to pollen availability
More conservative with winter stores
Tend to shut down brood production more quickly during dearth
Higher tendency to swarm if not given adequate space
Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica)
Also generally gentle, though sometimes a bit more active on the frames
Slower, steadier spring buildup compared to Carniolans
Maintain brood production longer into the season - even during dearth
Consume more resources, especially over winter
Lower swarming tendency, but can expand beyond available resources if not managed
In practical terms, Carniolans tend to “match” the environment more closely - booming when resources are abundant and pulling back when they’re not. Italians, on the other hand, push forward more consistently, which can be an advantage in long nectar flows but requires closer attention to food stores.
It’ll be interesting to see if I notice any behavioral differences between the two in real time.
Long term, those differences may blur anyway. As these colonies begin raising their own queens, open mating will likely lead to a mix of genetics across the apiary.
Before making the splits, we had to go through every frame - more than once - to locate our original Carniolan queen and make sure she stayed with the parent colony.
Once she was confirmed, we moved forward with installing the new queens.
These new queens have already been mated, which is one of the main advantages of purchasing them. Instead of waiting weeks for a virgin queen to emerge, mate, and begin laying, we should see eggs much sooner - assuming they’re accepted by the colony.
For each split, I removed the cork on the candy plug side of the queen cage and wedged it between two frames with open cells. The workers will chew through the sugar plug over the next few days, gradually releasing her.
Inside the cage, the queen is accompanied by a small retinue of workers who feed and care for her. That delay in release is important - it gives the colony time to adjust to her pheromones and (hopefully) accept her.
We’ll check for eggs about 7 days after release to confirm she’s laying.
After installing the queens, we closed the colonies up for a couple of hours to let everything settle.
When we reopened them, we reduced the entrances on the two new splits. Smaller entrances make it easier for these weaker colonies to defend against robbing while they establish themselves.
We’re also feeding those two new colonies 1:1 sugar syrup to support comb building and brood rearing as they build population. A 1:1 ratio closely mimics a natural nectar flow, which stimulates the bees to draw comb and encourages the queen to lay. Heavier syrup (like 2:1) is typically used later in the season for storage, not for buildup.
The original colony, on the other hand, is not being fed, and its entrance remains fully open. It has the workforce and resources to forage on its own and defend itself without assistance.
After about a week - once brood begins to emerge and population starts to build - we’ll open the entrances of the new colonies fully.
What I’ll Be Watching Over the Next Week
With fresh splits, this first week tells you a lot about how things are going to go. Here’s what I’ll be checking:
Eggs and laying pattern
Around day 7, I’ll be looking for fresh eggs from the new queens. A consistent pattern is a good early sign of acceptance and health.Queen acceptance behavior
Calm bees on the frames and no signs of balling the queen indicate things are going smoothly.Syrup consumption
The two new colonies should be actively taking down 1:1 syrup. If they’re not, that’s a signal something is off - either with population, weather, or queen acceptance.Comb building progress
New wax being drawn out tells me they’re in “growth mode” and responding to the simulated nectar flow.Brood emergence
Existing capped brood should begin hatching, giving each colony a much-needed population boost.Robbing pressure
I’ll keep an eye on entrances for fighting or erratic flight patterns. Reduced entrances should help, but this is when weak colonies are most vulnerable.
If all goes well, we’ll have three strong colonies heading into the main part of the season instead of one.
That’s the goal - but as always with bees, we’ll see how they decide to handle it.
