I did the @Michael_Bush easy way split the last week of March. Hive consisted of 2 broods and the Flow super.
The broods were full with each having roughly 2 frames brood another 2 frames of brood plus honey 1 frame of pollen and 3 frames mainly honey. The flow super had been emptied early March and had 4 full frames and 2 part filled frames.
Just to remind the method. I removed the top brood and Flow super and placed it on its own bottom board and slatted rack A top board and roof was place on the single brood. Essentially I had two hives, I did not look for or care where the queen was.
Both hives were then rotated so their entrances faced one another and placed 250mm (10") at the landing pads.
Did nothing else for 3 days when I swapped the hives around ie the one on the left was now on the right and vice versa. Another 3 days later I swapped them back. This was hopefully to equalize the foraging bees in each hive.
For the first 10 days or so one hive (single box) was very angry and I had trouble getting near without protection. Obviously the queenless hive. Then that hive quietened down after 2 weeks and by the 4 th week the hive was starting to thrive and after 6 weeks was good to put another brood box on.
There is sufficient nectar and pollen around to support the hives and providing there are no very long periods of rain and/or high winds they will be able to support themselves without feeding. As an indication the hive with the flow super still has most of the honey in it. I noticed a bit of honey shifting in the outer frames but no depletion.
I have rotated the hives so each looks out but they probably would have been happy to stay facing each other .
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