Master Beekeeper Ray Hewitt from Honey Top Bees provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to performing a Demaree Vertical Split. This essential swarm management technique allows beekeepers to prevent swarming while keeping the foraging force intact to maximize honey production.
Key topics covered in this tutorial include:
Understanding the Goal: Why the Demaree method is one of the most effective ways to double your honey yield.
Step-by-Step Setup: How to correctly manipulate the brood boxes, find the queen, and use a queen excluder to separate the colony.
Frame Management: Which frames to move to the top box and which to keep in the bottom to simulate a natural swarm.
Maintenance & Timing: Critical follow-up actions to take 7–10 days after the split to ensure success.
Whether you are looking to increase your hive count or simply want to stop a colony from swarming during the nectar flow, this masterclass provides the practical expertise needed to master the Demaree method.
In this video, we explore the Demaree method, a powerful beekeeping technique designed to maximize honey production while implementing effective swarm prevention strategies. We’ll show you how to manage your hives efficiently to ensure a healthy honeybee colony. Learn the best practices for bee colony management to keep your bees thriving.
