So, following advice I built one (great fun it was too), and yesterday I put it in. Here's how it went.
Kitted up on a lovely warm day. Due to various reasons I have the equivalent to 2 brood boxes in one hive, containing a mixture of honey and brood. Smoker ready, spare Super to use to hold frames which have to be placed in just the right constellations.
No Queen to be seen in the top brood box (a good mixture of brood and stores) although some Queen cups being built. This will make up the top (Queen-less) colony - sitting above the Snelgrove board. Take out a couple of frames of eggs and stores and place them in spare Super which will make up the new colony (with existing Queen) below the Snelgrove board. Set both of these boxes aside to search for Queen in lower box.
Queen is laying drone eggs in drone frame. Carefully place her with the spare Super frames.
Suddenly realise I now have 3 boxes for two colonies. Have to re-shuffle everyone together. Lost Queen. She has fallen on the floor! Find her, my Precious. Carefully place her back onto the have floor with what will be her colony. Can Queens sting?
Rebuild whole hive as follows: 1. floor, 2. new brood box with Queen, some brood, some stores and lots of empty frames 3. Snelgrove board with open top front 4. Queenless brood box with lots of brood and eggs 5. queen excluder 6. Super with remaining honey frames 7. roof
Today there are lots of bees coming and going into both the top and bottom colonies. I intend to divert the current foraging bees from the top colony into the bottom colony tomorrow to help build up the new colony as fast as possible.
I come away feeling a little pleased with myself but also very consious that I have seriously manipulated these creatures to achieve what I want, but at what expense to them?
Has anyone else used a Snelgrove board, and what success did you have? Any tips?
Laurieston