Dawn Harrison

Thanks for the reminder about blood meal, Cynda. I have used that before and it was effective. The only other options we use are unpredictable but enjoyable - two wild children who get up early in the morning and play into the evening when the deer are out and a cat who thinks she is a mountain lion. She chases deer out of our field regularly. We have built a new garden space and planted it with buckwheat until we can get to it in the fall and I am just waiting for the deer to enjoy the buffet. Thanks for all the ideas, permies!

Thanks so much for your comment. No, I haven't had bait traps ready and waiting and that is something I do plan to do. Just curious is splitting hives is something that is not consistent with a permies philosophy. It is what I learned 9 years ago when I first started keeping bees and I just have continued with it. Maybe my energy and effort is better spent learning more about swarm catching.

A looooong time lurker here (I am embarrassed to say how long I have read these forums and never posted or commented) but I have learned so much from all of you. Looking for some insight on splitting hives without purchased queens.
I have about a 50% success rate with walk-away splits (just what they sound like - take out about 5 frames with a combination of brood and food) and place them in a new box and walk away.) I have always done this when I find a frame with a queen cell and a larvae inside it hoping this ups the chances of success. No one in my area raises queens and I like the idea of them making their own (though I know some people do not.) Does anyone have any insight on best ways to make walk away splits successful?
I should mention I would like to get to the point of catching swarms for all the reasons people have discussed in the other threads. However, the only times I have seen my bees swarm, they go right up high in the trees and there would be no safe way of catching them. A neighbor who dismantles old houses and used to keep bees himself and I had planned to remove some feral bees from an old house up the road but they appeared to have left or died over winter as we have seen no sign of them.
I am blessed to live in an area (mountains of Western NC) where there are a of older folks who kept bees at one time and are descended from generations of bee keepers and none of them ever split hives or inspected them much. They would just let them swarm and catch them. Should I just go this route and forget about splitting hives? Maybe it is just a confidence issue and I worry I would let my hives swarm and not be able to get them and end up with no bees? As rich a bee-keeping history as there is here, very few people keep them now. In fact, many of them lost their hives over winter so I feel fortunate to have mine and want to do right by them and catch some feral swarms (if possible) as well.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!
Dawn