BCBC May Club Meeting: Leigh Wilkerson with Five Apple Farm

Smart Splitting: The Best Split for the Situation
Presenter: Leigh Wilkerson

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to splitting hives. Whether you’re preventing swarms, building your apiary, requeening, or managing a booming spring colony, the key to success is choosing the right split for the right situation. This class will explore the wide variety of specialty splits rarely taught in traditional beekeeping circles.

By understanding the biological forces driving colony behavior—and aligning our methods with the bees’ natural rhythms—we can make smarter, more sustainable decisions. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a sideliner, you’ll leave with practical tools to assess your colonies and implement the most effective split for your goals, season, and circumstances.

About the Speaker:
Leigh Wilkerson manages around a dozen hives in rural Yancey County, NC, with a focus on vigor, genetic diversity, and disease resistance. Her apiary has been treatment-free for over fifteen years and fully self-sustaining since 2010. In addition to producing honey and nucs nearly every year, Leigh shares her insights through the podcast Beekeeping at Five Apple, which explores practical and sustainable approaches to beekeeping.