Splitting an Australian Native BeeHive to Make Two Hives

This video shows an Australian stingless native beehive being split to make two hives. These Australian native bees are called Tetragonula carbonaria, but there are over 1500 different varieties of native bees and of course many more worldwide.

With the alarming decline in the honey bee it makes sense to grow and create more native bee hives and protect habitat because if the honey bee goes it will potentially leave a massive hole in how our food plants are fertilised.

These native bees are stingless so they are great to keep in the garden as they are safe around children and are fierce pollinators of local plants - it's a win win!

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[garulusglandarius]

These bees are beautiful, stingless, pollinating, honey producing, peaceful creatures. Wow 😁👍 we need to protect and nurture these wonderful creatures.

[mayne]

'Now, it's important to use good quality duct tape'.
This man is truly wise. We should make that part of the national aussie curriculum.
Great work guys.

[rodyates]

This was really informative. I wonder if these boxes are composite with polystyrene foam? You seem to be concerned about insulation, and they would be very heavy in solid timber? I can see your logic in having a vertical split, which is very smart. I've just cut down a disused 8 frame Langstroth hive, cut 150 mm in from the dovetail, on each long side, and it looks good. The two ends now butt together, and a fairly tight "telescopic" lid and base will hold both sides tightly together, if the rims extend about 50 mm up or down the sides.

[aarondoyle]

I've had a bit of experience with native stingless bees, but I've never seen a hive design quite like it. Splitting top to bottom I haven't seen before. The trend with the young ones seem to be split side to side. I might need to give this up down method a go.

[carolynoneill]

Very interesting vertical process.
Good to see he is not using stainless steel.
It appears that one of the boxes was the wrong orientation (1st one). Native bees will more often put honey stores in the back behind the brood and pollen at the front near the door. So one of those hives got all the honey stores and one got all the pollen. The 2nd two seemed to be better orientated so that each half got half the supplies each along with half the brood.
Also to answer your question why it is darker, 2 things possibly older if this is his 1st hive. And colour of structure may vary depending on the sap they have drawn from different trees to make the structural support propolis/cerumen.
The colouring around the doorway is also more propolis (wax mixed with tree sap). And helps them 'smell' their way home.
I am surprised he doesn't move the split hive with the old doorway away as the one in the original position will get all the workers returning to it and overall there will be less bees left in the one that has been moved from original position.

[TheWinezen]

thank you for a truly informative video. Great work to you and your uncle

Interesting one Mark, I've been a beekeeper for years. Although I just shut down my hives because I am getting ready to move back the Philippines and starting up my farm. I also just started to think about getting stingless bees. Great information thanks mate. I could use all the information you could share.

[valdastolk]

Really interesting Mark. I picked up my hive last Sunday and was wondering what it looked like inside. Now I have an idea what it’s like, thanks. I’m in Mackay

[fourKeeps]

Thanks for the video. Looking at splitting a friends hive to bring a hive home with me. This video will be very helpful. Thanks again.

[ElkinsEric]

Very interesting, I had no idea there were stingless bees. Especially in AUS where there’s all kinds of poisonous snakes and whatnot.

[terribethreed]

These were very interesting videos.
Thank you so much for sharing them with us.

[lc]

Hi there, is your uncle located at Brighton? We recently purchased a hive and after watching your video ours look to be very much the same construction, right down to the tie strap used.

[tomsteginga]

Excellent and a method of splitting that works with the nest formation giving greater chance of success.

[jmsheadquarters]

Mate Thank god for people like you, With out Bee's W'ed be Fucked, You've inspired me to start doing it, I might need your help along the way and will be posting questions and needing your advise, Cheers Mate Great thing your doing

[jeffreydustin]

Just got stung by a honey bee...would really like some stingless bees right about now.

[MangueBeat]

Very invasive method, and the box model makes handling very difficult, in Brazil we use simple boxes that facilitate the handling, we should never break the breeding discs!
I respect your work, but I would make some changes in the way of handling.

[GardeningWithPuppies]

It sure is nice to have bees that don't sting. The gentleman really seems to know his stuff. Are they mainly for pollination? They don't seem to make as much honey as others that I have seen.

[elysejoseph]

That was really interesting Mark! The first time I've seen your native bee was on Jeff Heriot channel, do you know Jeff, really nice guy :) Since I'm allergic to bee stings, I really like stingless bees lol

[BenJamin-zwpv]

Cheers Mark. That was really interesting. Such a pity they don't produce lots of honey.

[kerielwatson]

How many get squished when putting the tops back on?