SWARMS
People often witness a swarm - either settled on a branch or under and eve, or more dramatically, in flight.
In an Apiray, the swarming usually starts in the morning, with LOTS of activity around the hive. Then the bees collect on a branch neaby and gradually quiet until they are a barely moving ball of bees in a kind of pineapple shape.
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But why do bees swarm, and what should anyone do if they see one - or have one arrive in their home.
Why do bees swarm
Swarming is a natural part of a bee's life - it's the way that the colony reproduces.
When the queen is old, the nurse bees decide to start the process of growing a new queen. They start feeding one of the babies ...
The queen then takes about 50% of the colony and takes off. The group of bees gather and settle nearby (often on a branch) while scout bees search for a new safe space large enough to house the queen, and her workers.
Sometimes a colony decide to swarm when they are running out of space. If forraging and honey store making has been going well, if the beekeeper has not add another super, the bees will decide to take off.
In nature, a new 'hive' might be a hollow tree but we've had a swarm arrive in the little dog house out cat lived in! Bees will sometimes find a corner of a shed or garage or even a chimney!
Many beekeepers will have a bait hive or two standing ready in the hope the scouts might choose to move in.
This is just a regular or smaller hive, usually set a little higher than in the Apiray - with frames all set up inside.
It can be quite scary to see honey bees in their large numbers. However, they are usually at their most docile when swarming. This is because they are focusing on the task at hand and they’ve gorged on honey before leaving the hive, so have extremely full stomachs – think of our version of a food coma!
Also, bees are very protective of their hive - stores and baby bees. But on the move, they've not got these to protect.
Even so, it's best to be cautious.
When the queen is old, the nurse bees decide to start the process of growing a new queen. They start feeding one of the babies ...
The queen then takes about 50% of the colony and takes off. The group of bees gather and settle nearby (often on a branch) while scout bees search for a new safe space large enough to house the queen, and her workers.
Sometimes a colony decide to swarm when they are running out of space. If forraging and honey store making has been going well, if the beekeeper has not add another super, the bees will decide to take off.
In nature, a new 'hive' might be a hollow tree but we've had a swarm arrive in the little dog house out cat lived in! Bees will sometimes find a corner of a shed or garage or even a chimney!
Many beekeepers will have a bait hive or two standing ready in the hope the scouts might choose to move in.
This is just a regular or smaller hive, usually set a little higher than in the Apiray - with frames all set up inside.
It can be quite scary to see honey bees in their large numbers. However, they are usually at their most docile when swarming. This is because they are focusing on the task at hand and they’ve gorged on honey before leaving the hive, so have extremely full stomachs – think of our version of a food coma!
Also, bees are very protective of their hive - stores and baby bees. But on the move, they've not got these to protect.
Even so, it's best to be cautious.
Catching a swarm - kit
Our 'bee field' seems to be on some kind of energy line. Certainly, in addition to our own bees sometimes swarming, we often find a cluster of swarming bees settled on a branch. As a result, we have lots of experience in catching swarms, so we have a kit to the ready...
Over time we've found a carboard box exactly the shape of our queen excluder (more later). The box easy to handle and is light enough to take up a ladder if needed.
We wait until the swarm has settled and formed into a calmer ball (the timing is everything - wait too long and the scouts may lead the swarm to a new spot). We cut any bits of branches out of the way, then move the box into place, more or less surrounding the swarm.
If the branch the swarm is on is flexible, you can give a sharp shake and the swarm will mostly fall into the box.
The main thing is to get the core of the swarm as the queen is likely to be in there.
We then tape our queen excluder over the top.
The excluder is a mesh just the right size for worker bees to pass through, but too small for the larger body of the queen. So, once you've got her inside, the swarm will stay with her and any stragglers will join.
Over time we've found a carboard box exactly the shape of our queen excluder (more later). The box easy to handle and is light enough to take up a ladder if needed.
We wait until the swarm has settled and formed into a calmer ball (the timing is everything - wait too long and the scouts may lead the swarm to a new spot). We cut any bits of branches out of the way, then move the box into place, more or less surrounding the swarm.
If the branch the swarm is on is flexible, you can give a sharp shake and the swarm will mostly fall into the box.
The main thing is to get the core of the swarm as the queen is likely to be in there.
We then tape our queen excluder over the top.
The excluder is a mesh just the right size for worker bees to pass through, but too small for the larger body of the queen. So, once you've got her inside, the swarm will stay with her and any stragglers will join.
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Once in the box we turn it upside down (the bees will group inside the top of the box). Then we leave it be for the bees to settle.
Worker bees who've been left behind can come in and out easily through the excluder, but as long as we have the queen, her colony will stay with her. |
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A new Queen
Re-homing in a new hive