By: Brown County Beekeepers Association member Jim Sharp whose has been keeping bees for more than 25 years.

Managing varroa mites and preventing swarms are two of the most important challenges beekeepers face each season. An effective and low-intervention method to address both is the walkaway split—a simple division that removes the existing queen and a few brood frames into a nucleus colony (nuc), giving the parent colony a brood break to reduce mites and discourage swarming. This method not only creates a new colony but also sets up the parent hive for a highly effective oxalic acid treatment during its temporary brood-less period.

When timed correctly in early spring, this strategy can also be done with minimal impact on honey production, especially if the colony has full sheets of brood close to emergence. Those bees will still emerge in the parent hive and be ready to forage during the spring nectar flow—even while the new queen is being raised.

An added benefit is isolating the best queens in Nucs to have easy access to young larva to graft from for queen rearing.

Why This Method Works

Oxalic acid is one of the most effective organic treatments for varroa mites, but it only works on phoretic mites—those on adult bees—not those sealed in capped brood. By removing the queen and stopping brood production in the parent hive, a brood-less window opens, allowing oxalic acid to reach virtually all mites in the colony. This often results in a significant reduction in mite load with just a single treatment.Additionally, removing the queen significantly reduces the colony’s swarming impulse. In spring and early summer, rapidly growing colonies with abundant resources are naturally inclined to reproduce by swarming—a process where the old queen and roughly half the bees leave to start a new colony. This reproductive strategy leaves the original hive with ample resources and the task of raising a new queen. By taking the old queen in a split, you eliminate one of the key elements needed to trigger swarming, effectively disrupting the colony’s drive to divide.

Additionally, removing the queen significantly reduces the colony’s swarming impulse. In spring and early summer, rapidly growing colonies with abundant resources are naturally inclined to reproduce by swarming—a process where the old queen and roughly half the bees leave to start a new colony. This reproductive strategy leaves the original hive with ample resources and the task of raising a new queen. By taking the old queen in a split, you eliminate one of the key elements needed to trigger swarming, effectively disrupting the colony’s drive to divide.

In early spring, many colonies have full frames of capped brood that are about to emerge. By performing the split just before this brood hatches, you retain the foraging force needed for the nectar flow—ensuring that honey production is minimally disrupted even as the colony is re-queening and break the mite cycle.

When to Do It

This split is best done in early to mid-spring, just as colonies are expanding rapidly and drones are becoming available for queen mating. This timing aligns with the buildup toward the nectar flow, giving both hives time to grow while taking advantage of natural brood cycles. It’s also a great method in late summer or early fall for mite reduction before winter when honey production isn’t a factor. A brood break in late summer is ideal for reducing the colony’s population—fewer hungry mouths to feed—as nectar availability declines. It also provides the perfect opportunity to treat for mites and ensure the colony raises healthy winter bees.

Step-by-Step: Making the Queen-Right Walkaway Split

Step 1: Select the Right Colony
Choose a robust colony with good brood patterns, plenty of bees, and a healthy, productive queen. Ideally, this hive should have multiple frames of capped brood that are about to emerge.

Step 2: Find and Remove the Queen
Carefully inspect and locate the queen. Once found, place her in a queen cage temporarily if needed to prevent loss during frame manipulation or place that frame of bees with the queen in a nuc.

Step 3: Prepare the Nucleus (nuc) hive:
In your new nucleus hive, place the following items:

2 or 3 frames of brood (ideally including one with emerging brood and another with eggs or young larvae)

1 frame of food (pollen/honey)

The queen (released onto the brood frame after bees are added)

1–2 empty drawn comb or foundation frames

Shake in extra nurse bees from the brood frames to help care for the brood and queen.

Step 4: Reassemble the Parent Hive
Leave the remaining bees and brood in the original hive.Be sure that at least one frame has very young larvae or eggs so the colony can raise a queen. The colony will recognize it is queen-less and will start constructing queen cells within 24–48 hours.

Step 5: Close and Reorient
If the nuc will remain in the same yard, consider plugging the entrance for 24 hours or placing a branch at the entrance to encourage reorientation. Otherwise, move the nuc 2+ miles away to avoid forager drift.

Oxalic Acid Treatment Timing

Around Day 21–25 after the split, all brood in the parent colony will have emerged, leaving it temporarily brood-less—the ideal window for oxalic acid treatment.

At this point, you can use vaporization (sublimation) or dribble method per the manufacturer’s instructions. Always wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Treat once during this brood-less period for maximum effect. Avoid disturbing developing queen cells during the days leading up to emergence (around Day 16).

Re-queening the Parent Colony (If Needed)

If the parent colony fails to successfully re-queen, don’t panic. This method offers a natural backup plan.

Around Day 28–35, check the hive for signs of a newly mated queen—look for eggs, small larvae, or polished cells. If no eggs or young brood are seen by Day 35:

• The colony likely failed to raise or mate a queen.
• Use a frame of eggs from the nuc if it has a laying queen and you’d like the colony to try again.
• Or, more reliably, take the old queen and requeen the parent colony directly with the nuc.
• You can also order and install a new mated queen if needed.

Re-queening with the nuc provides a simple, self-sufficient solution—no need to buy a queen or risk unknown genetics. And because the queen is already accepted and proven, she’s more likely to be accepted by the parent colony.

Final Thoughts

The queen-right walkaway split is a low-tech, high-impact beekeeping tool that meets multiple goals: mites, swarms, and sustainability. Done in early spring, especially when capped brood is close to emerging, it allows the beekeeper to maintain foraging strength and maximize honey production while also interrupting the brood cycle for effective mite treatment.

By splitting a colony at the right time, treating during the brood-less window, and monitoring queen success, you not only control varroa but also ensure your colonies stay strong, productive, and less prone to swarming—all while increasing your hive count.