When the Bees Decide — A Mentor's Guide to Swarms, Splits, and Staying Ready

When the bees decide it is time to swarm or your colony is bursting at the seams you need to be ready. This guide walks you through everything from setting up a bait hive to collecting a swarm in the field to making your first split. Every page is built from real experience on a small family apiary — not theory, not templates, not someone else's YouTube video.

Inside you will find:

A complete bait hive setup method that has caught a swarm every year for three years. A field swarm collection walkthrough. A mentor-style guide to deciding if and when to split. A full first-hand account of splitting an overwintered colony including what went right and what I would do differently. A night-before-your-split walkthrough to get your head right. A printable pre-split checklist covering your plan, equipment, weather, backup plans, and post-split observation schedule.

Built by a beekeeper. Not a template factory.

Humble Hives Apiary — Care for the Bees. Steward the Land.