How to Make Increase Colonies
Making increase colonies is one of the most useful advanced skills in beekeeping. Done well, it gives you spare queens, replacement colonies, saleable nucs and better control of swarming. Done badly, it multiplies weak stock, spreads disease and creates small colonies that cannot cope with Varroa or winter.
In the UK, the safest period for making increases is usually spring into early summer, when colonies are expanding, drones are present and forage is improving. Start with strong, healthy colonies, move enough brood, stores and nurse bees, and keep clear records of queen origin, frame movement, Varroa status and follow-up inspections. Bee Hive Tracker is particularly useful for logging each split and setting reminders for the 7, 14, 21 and post-mating checks.
Choosing the Right Method
The best method depends on the season, your aim and whether you have a laying queen, queen cell or purchased queen available.
Artificial swarm Best in spring and early summer when a colony is strong or showing swarm signs. It is reliable for swarm control and can produce an additional colony if the queenless part successfully raises or receives a queen. It requires finding the queen.
Queenright nuc Best when you want a small, manageable increase using an existing laying queen or a purchased mated queen. It establishes quickly, but needs enough sealed brood, nurse bees and stores.
Queenless nuc or walk-away split Useful when you want the bees to raise their own queen from eggs or very young larvae. It is simple, but success depends on drones, weather and good mating conditions. Expect several weeks before the new queen is laying.
Split using a queen cell Good when you have reliable queen cells from selected stock. It is cheaper than buying mated queens, but still depends on successful mating.
Vertical split Useful where you run double brood or have spare brood boxes and want to divide a colony without moving it far. It can help with swarm control and increase, but the layout must be managed carefully.
Shook swarm Primarily a disease-management or comb-renewal technique rather than a standard increase method. It creates a brood break, but is labour-intensive and should only be used when conditions and feeding support are suitable.
Queen rearing and grafting Best for experienced beekeepers who want several queens from selected breeder colonies. It requires planning, cell builders, mating nucs and good drone availability.
When to Make Increase Colonies in the UK
The main window is usually from mid-April to early June in much of England and Wales, slightly later in colder, upland and northern areas. In Scotland, exposed sites and higher ground may not be ready until May or June. Use the colony’s condition rather than the calendar alone.
A colony is usually ready to support an increase when it has:
- A strong adult bee population covering most brood frames
- Several frames of brood at different stages
- Fresh eggs or young larvae if queen rearing is required
- Adequate pollen and nectar coming in
- Drones present locally if a virgin queen will need mating
- Low Varroa pressure and no signs of brood disease
Late June and early July splits can work in a good season, especially with mated queens, but colonies made late need more feeding, closer Varroa management and enough time to build winter bees. Avoid making small increases after late July unless you have a clear plan for feeding, treatment and overwintering.
Selecting Donor Colonies
Only increase from colonies you would be happy to have more of. A split copies both strengths and problems.
Choose donor colonies with:
- A calm temperament
- A good brood pattern, with compact brood and few missed cells
- A productive, healthy queen line
- Plenty of nurse bees
- Low Varroa levels
- No signs of American foulbrood, European foulbrood, heavy chalkbrood or other serious disease
- Enough stores to spare frames without weakening the parent colony
Do not make increases from weak, aggressive, heavily infested or diseased colonies. If you suspect American foulbrood or European foulbrood, do not move frames, bees or equipment. Contact your local Bee Inspector or the appropriate UK bee health authority immediately.
Equipment and Materials
Prepare everything before opening the donor colony. A slow, disorganised split chills brood and increases the chance of losing the queen.
You may need:
- Clean 5-frame or 6-frame nuc boxes, commonly National size in the UK
- Spare brood boxes if making full-size splits
- Drawn comb if available
- Frames with foundation
- Entrance reducers
- Feeders or fondant
- Queen cages and marking equipment
- Labels or colony ID tags
- Varroa monitoring equipment
- Approved Varroa treatments, if treatment is planned
- Clean hive tool, smoker and protective clothing
- Record system, such as Bee Hive Tracker, set up with new colony IDs
Avoid feeding unknown honey, as it can spread disease. Use syrup when temperatures are warm enough and bees can take it down; use fondant in cooler weather or where robbing is a concern.
Method 1: Making a Queenright Nuc
A queenright nuc is one of the quickest ways to make an increase because it starts with a laying queen. This may be the old queen from a strong colony, a spare queen, or a purchased mated queen introduced in a cage.
Day 0: Create the Nuc
- Prepare the nuc box
Set up a clean nuc with space for brood, stores and foundation. Reduce the entrance before or immediately after adding bees.
- Find the queen
If moving the existing queen, locate her carefully. Either move the frame she is on or cage her temporarily while you arrange the nuc.
- Add brood
For a standard 5-frame National nuc, a practical starting point is:
- Two frames of brood, ideally with one frame of sealed or emerging brood
- One frame containing some open brood if using the existing queen
- One good frame of stores with pollen and honey
- One frame of drawn comb or foundation
If the weather is cool, do not make the nuc too small. A thinly populated nuc struggles to keep brood warm.
- Add nurse bees
Shake or brush in extra bees from one or two brood frames, making sure the queen is not accidentally shaken if she is meant to stay in the parent colony. Young nurse bees are essential because many flying bees will return to the original hive if the nuc remains in the same apiary.
- Add or introduce the queen
If using the old queen on her frame, place her in the centre of the nuc with brood around her. If introducing a purchased queen, follow the supplier’s instructions. In most cases, leave her caged initially and check acceptance before release.
- Close up and reduce the entrance
Keep the entrance small to help the nuc defend itself. If the nuc remains in the same apiary, expect some flying bees to drift back, so ensure you added plenty of young bees.
- Record the split
In Bee Hive Tracker or your record book, log the donor colony, new nuc ID, queen details, number and type of frames moved, stores, Varroa status and next inspection date.
Day 5–7: First Check
Inspect briefly. Confirm that the queen is present and accepted. Look for eggs if she was already laying. Do not keep the nuc open longer than necessary, especially in cool weather.
Check stores and feed if needed. Small nucs can run short quickly, even when full-size colonies nearby appear comfortable.
Day 14–21: Establishment Check
By three weeks, a nuc headed by a laying queen should show a developing brood pattern, with eggs, larvae and sealed brood. If the nuc is expanding strongly, add space before it becomes congested.
Move it into a full brood box when it is covering most frames and has enough bees to defend the larger space. Expanding too early can chill brood; leaving it too long can trigger swarming or slow development.
Method 2: Artificial Swarm for Increase
An artificial swarm is mainly a swarm-control method, but it can also create an increase if both parts are managed successfully. The usual principle is to separate the old queen from most of the brood, imitating a natural swarm while retaining the bees.
When to Use It
Use an artificial swarm when a strong colony is preparing to swarm, especially if you find charged queen cells. It is most useful in spring and early summer.
Basic Approach
- Move the original hive to one side
Place a new brood box or hive on the original stand. Flying bees will return to this position.
- Put the old queen in the new hive
Place the queen on a frame of brood or comb in the new hive, with foundation or drawn comb around her. Add a frame of stores if needed.
- Manage the brood box moved to the side
The original brood box, now queenless, contains brood, nurse bees and queen cells or the material to make queen cells. This part can raise a new queen if conditions are good.
- Reduce queen cells appropriately
After several days, inspect the queenless part and leave one or two good queen cells. Leaving many queen cells can lead to casts. Handle frames gently; queen cells are easily damaged.
- Feed if necessary
The queenright artificial swarm may need feeding to draw comb. The queenless part may also need support if forage is poor.
- Record both colonies
Log which colony has the old queen and which is raising a new queen. Record queen cell dates and set a reminder for post-mating checks.
Expected Timeline
- Day 0: Artificial swarm made
- Day 5–7: Check queenless part and reduce queen cells if needed
- Day 16 onwards from egg: Virgin queen may emerge, depending on cell age
- Around 2–3 weeks after emergence: New queen may begin laying, weather permitting
- By day 28–35 after the split: Check for eggs and young brood
Avoid repeated inspections during mating. Too much disturbance can increase the chance of queen loss.
Method 3: Walk-Away Split
A walk-away split allows bees to rear their own queen. It is simple, but it is not the most reliable method in poor weather or where drone availability is limited.
Day 0: Make the Split
- Choose a strong colony
It must have enough bees and brood to spare frames without being seriously weakened.
- Move frames into a nuc or spare brood box
Include:
- One or two frames with eggs or very young larvae
- One or two frames of sealed brood
- One frame of stores
- Extra nurse bees shaken in
- Avoid moving the queen unless intentionally splitting evenly
If you can find the queen, leave her in the parent colony. If you cannot find her, check each frame carefully before moving it. If uncertain, you may have created a split where either half could be queenright; follow-up checks will reveal which side is raising queen cells.
- Close down the entrance
A small entrance helps the young colony defend itself.
- Record frame contents
Note especially whether eggs were present. Without eggs or very young larvae, the queenless part cannot raise a suitable queen.
Day 5–7: Queen Cell Check
Check for emergency queen cells. Leave one or two large, well-positioned cells. Do not shake frames with queen cells.
If there are no queen cells and no eggs, the nuc may have the queen or may be unable to raise one. Check carefully for eggs, the queen, or signs of queenlessness.
Day 28–35: Laying Check
Look for eggs and young larvae. If no queen is laying by about five weeks, consider the weather, drone availability and colony behaviour. Options include introducing a mated queen, adding a test frame with eggs, or uniting with another colony if the split is failing.
Method 4: Using Queen Cells
Queen cells are a good option when you have selected stock and suitable mating conditions. They are often used in nucs made from brood and nurse bees.
How to Set Up a Nuc for a Queen Cell
Use a nuc with:
- One or two frames of sealed brood
- Plenty of nurse bees
- A frame of stores
- Drawn comb or foundation
- A ripe queen cell protected from chilling and damage
Place the queen cell securely between brood frames, following the method used by your queen rearer or association mentor. Avoid pushing, shaking or rolling the cell.
Follow-Up
- Check lightly after emergence if necessary, but avoid excessive disturbance
- Do not expect eggs immediately
- Inspect for laying around 2–3 weeks after expected emergence
- Allow longer if weather has been poor
Record the queen cell source, date inserted, expected emergence date and first confirmed laying date. These records are valuable when comparing queen lines and mating success.
Method 5: Introducing a Purchased Mated Queen
A purchased mated queen is the fastest route to a functioning increase, but introduction must be handled carefully.
Create a queenless nuc with brood, stores and nurse bees. Leave it queenless long enough for the bees to recognise their condition, then introduce the queen in her cage according to supplier instructions. Do not rush release if the bees are aggressive towards the cage.
At the first check, look for:
- Calm behaviour around the cage
- Queen released or ready for release
- Eggs after she has had time to settle
- No emergency queen cells competing with her
Remove unwanted queen cells during introduction unless deliberately using a different system. Record supplier, queen line, marking colour, introduction date and acceptance result.
Managing Varroa When Making Increases
Varroa management must be planned before the split, not after the colony is already struggling.
Before making increases:
- Monitor mite levels using a reliable method
- Review treatment history
- Avoid using heavily infested colonies as donors
- Consider whether the split creates a useful brood break
- Plan approved treatment timing around brood presence and honey supers
Brood breaks can reduce mite reproduction, but they do not automatically solve Varroa. A queenless split may provide a window when little or no sealed brood is present, making some treatments more effective. Always follow the product label, UK rules and current guidance.
For each increase, record:
- Varroa monitoring date and result
- Treatment product
- Batch number if applicable
- Treatment date
- Dose and method
- Any withdrawal or honey-super restrictions
- Follow-up mite check
Good Varroa records help explain why some nucs thrive and others fail later in the season.
Disease and Biosecurity Cautions
Never move brood frames from a colony with suspicious brood symptoms.
Possible warning signs include:
- Sunken, perforated or greasy-looking cappings
- Dead larvae in abnormal positions
- Ropiness in dead larval remains
- Patchy brood with an unpleasant smell
- Scales in cells
- Twisted or melted-looking larvae
American foulbrood and European foulbrood are notifiable in the UK. If suspected, stop inspections, do not move equipment, and contact your local Bee Inspector or bee health authority.
Basic biosecurity for making increases:
- Use clean equipment
- Avoid exchanging frames between unrelated apiaries unless disease status is known
- Keep hive tools clean
- Do not feed honey of unknown origin
- Quarantine bought-in nucs or queens where practical
- Record colony movements and equipment changes
Feeding New Increases
Small colonies have little margin for error. Even in spring, a cold or wet week can stop forage and leave a nuc short of food.
Feed when:
- Stores are light
- Foundation needs drawing
- Weather is unsettled
- The nuc has few flying bees
- You have made a late-season increase
Use small, controlled feeds rather than spilling syrup around the apiary. Spilt syrup encourages robbing. Reduce entrances and avoid open feeding near nucs.
Do not overfeed to the point that the queen has nowhere to lay. Balance food with laying space.
Preventing Robbing and Drifting
Nucs are vulnerable because they have fewer guard bees. Robbing risk is highest during nectar dearths, after the main flow, or when syrup is being fed.
To reduce risk:
- Keep entrances small
- Avoid leaving comb or syrup exposed
- Feed in the evening if robbing pressure is high
- Use internal feeders where possible
- Keep nucs strong enough to defend themselves
- Space nucs apart or face entrances in different directions to reduce drifting
If making nucs in the same apiary as the donor colony, remember that flying bees often return to the original site. Add extra nurse bees to compensate, or move nucs to another suitable apiary if you need to retain more flying bees.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
The Nuc Has No Eggs After Three Weeks
If it was made with a laying queen, check whether the queen is present. She may have been lost, rejected or superseded. Add a test frame with eggs from a healthy colony if you are unsure whether the nuc is queenless.
If it was made with a queen cell or walk-away split, allow for queen emergence and mating time. Poor weather can delay laying.
The Queen Was Rejected
Queen rejection is more likely if the nuc contains an unnoticed virgin queen, laying workers, older bees, or too few young bees. Remove competing queen cells and confirm queenlessness before trying again. A strong, well-fed nuc with young bees usually accepts queens more readily.
Laying Workers Appear
Signs include multiple eggs per cell, eggs on cell walls and scattered drone brood in worker cells. Laying-worker colonies are difficult to requeen directly. Often the best solution is to unite them with a strong queenright colony using newspaper, or shake them out away from the apiary and recover equipment after bees have dispersed.
The Nuc Is Starving
Feed immediately. Small colonies can starve faster than full colonies. Check that feed is accessible in cool weather; bees may not move far from the cluster to reach syrup.
The Donor Colony Has Been Weakened
Do not strip too much brood or too many nurse bees from one colony. If you need several nucs, use several strong donors rather than exhausting one hive.
The New Queen Fails to Mate
Poor weather, lack of drones, queen loss on mating flights or poor mating conditions can all cause failure. Requeen with a mated queen or unite the nuc before it dwindles.
Record-Keeping for Increase Colonies
Accurate records turn colony increase from guesswork into repeatable management. At minimum, record every frame movement, queen decision and follow-up result.
For each increase, log:
- Donor colony ID
- New colony or nuc ID
- Apiary location
- Date made
- Method used
- Queen status: old queen, virgin queen, queen cell, purchased mated queen or queenless
- Queen origin, marking colour and year
- Number of sealed brood frames moved
- Number of open brood or egg frames moved
- Number of store frames moved
- Whether extra nurse bees were added
- Feed given
- Varroa monitoring result
- Treatment history and planned treatment
- Temperament notes
- Disease observations
- Follow-up inspection dates
- First eggs seen
- First sealed brood from new queen
- Outcome at autumn assessment and after winter
Bee Hive Tracker can be used to create new colony records at the point of splitting, attach photos of brood and queens, and set reminders for key checks. Over several seasons, those records show which queen lines, timings and methods work best in your own apiaries.
Practical Timelines
Queenright 5-Frame National Nuc
Day 0 Make nuc with a laying queen, two brood frames, one stores frame, drawn comb or foundation, and extra nurse bees. Reduce entrance and record details.
Day 5–7 Check queen acceptance and eggs. Feed if stores are low.
Day 14 Check brood pattern and space.
Day 21 Expect a developing pattern of eggs, larvae and sealed brood. Expand only when the nuc is strong enough.
Walk-Away Nuc
Day 0 Make nuc with eggs or young larvae, sealed brood, stores and nurse bees. Record that it is queenless.
Day 5–7 Check for queen cells. Leave one or two good cells.
Day 21 Avoid unnecessary disturbance during queen emergence and mating period.
Day 28–35 Check for eggs. If there are none, reassess and decide whether to requeen, add a test frame or unite.
Nuc with Ripe Queen Cell
Day 0 Make nuc and insert queen cell carefully.
Day 7–10 Queen may have emerged, depending on cell age. Avoid heavy inspection.
Day 21–28 Check for eggs if weather has been suitable.
Day 35 If no laying queen is present, take corrective action.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Making increases from weak colonies
- Splitting colonies with high Varroa levels
- Ignoring brood disease symptoms
- Making nucs too small for the weather
- Taking too much from the donor colony
- Leaving nucs short of food
- Making late nucs without a wintering plan
- Disturbing virgin queens too often
- Forgetting to reduce entrances
- Failing to record queen origin and follow-up dates
Making Increase Colonies That Survive
Successful increases come from timing, balance and follow-up. Use strong donor colonies, move enough brood and nurse bees, provide stores, manage Varroa deliberately and avoid spreading disease. In most UK apiaries, spring and early summer give the best results, especially when drones are flying and forage is improving.
If you are making your first increases, work with your local association or mentor. Local knowledge of forage, weather, drone availability and disease risk is invaluable. Keep detailed records in Bee Hive Tracker or a dedicated notebook, and review them at the end of the season. The best method is the one that produces healthy, well-queened colonies in your conditions, year after year.
Sources Used
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bee-health
- https://www.bbka.org.uk
- https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/
- National Bee Unit and local Bee Inspector information available via gov.uk