Honey Bee Swarms

Honey Bee Swarms are one of the most beautiful and interesting phenomena’s in nature. A swarm starting is a thrilling sight. A swarm may contain from 1,500 to 30,000 bees including, workers, drones, and usually the older queen. Swarming is an instinctive part of the annual life cycle of a honey bee colony. It provides a mechanism for the colony to reproduce itself. The tendency to swarm is usually greatest when bees increase their population rapidly in late spring and early summer.

Overcrowding and congestion in the nest are factors which predispose colonies to swarm. The presence of an old queen and a mild winter also contribute to the development of the swarming impulse. Swarming can be controlled by a skilled beekeeper; however, not all colonies live in hives and have a human caretaker.

When honey bees swarm they will settle on a tree limb, bush, or other convenient site. The cohesiveness of the swarm is due to their attraction to a pheromone produced by the queen. The swarm will send out scout bees to seek a cavity to nest in and will move on when a suitable nesting site is found. Rarely, swarms may initiate comb construction in the open if a suitable cavity cannot be found. You may want to call a local beekeeper to see if he would like to collect the swarm. Contact your county extension office or Department of Agriculture for a list of beekeepers in your area. Late season swarms after August are of little value to beekeepers, they usually don’t live through the winter.

A swarm in May - is worth a load of hay.

A swarm in June - is worth a silver spoon.

A swarm in July - isn't worth a fly.

A beekeeper can capture a swarm by placing a suitable container, such as an empty beehive or even just a bucket, on the ground below the swarm and dislodging the bees. If you can coax the bees into a hive, watch the bees’ scent-fanning at the entrance to signal the entrance to the new nest as the bees march into their new home. If for some reason the queen does not go into the new hive, the bees will abandon it and form a cluster where she lands. If you use a bucket simply carry them back to your apiary, spray a little sugar water on them to mask their sent and keep them from flying. Then the beekeeper can just dump the bucket load of bees into a new hive.

What can be done if a honey bee swarm establishes itself in an undesirable place? Honey bees are beneficial pollinators and should be left alone and appreciated unless their nests are in conflict with human activity. If honey bees nest in the walls of a home, they can be removed or killed if necessary; however, it is advisable to open the area and remove the honey and combs or rodents and insects will be attracted. You can prevent swarms from nesting in walls by preventive maintenance. Honey bees will not make an entrance to a nest. They look for an existing entrance, so periodic inspection and caulking is all that is necessary to prevent them from occupying spaces in walls.(Marion Ellis)

Bibliography

Marion Ellis, Extension Apiculture Specialist. http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/beeswarm.shtml. n.d.