Quote from: Michael Bush on January 07, 2010, 01:52:05 PM
Feeding syrup can simulate a flow and cause some of the same responses, but if it comes in too fast they will backfill the brood nest and swarm.
I read this on another thread and did not want to hijack the thread.
So, when a colony swarms it is just leaving the brood nest to its own devices leaving it to fail?
Or, did I just comletely miss what he was saying?
A swarm will leave with virgin queen or queen cells left behind to continue the old colony. It usually leaves when there are adequate stores for the old hive to survive and conditions are favorable for the new colony to succee
This is why you need to be careful about overfeeding in early spring.If the hive backfills the brood area and half of the bees leave you will be left with a weak colony.And the swarm will also have little chance of survival.
A swarm during a nectar flow is the colonies way of reproducing. it splts with half or so of the bees and lets a new generation head up the old coliony. You need to think of the hive as a single organism when it splits and reproduces.
Oh, so in the right conditions a swarm is a good thing, it seems like it would be a real good thing if you happen to gain the swarm that left. Right?
ok for bees-bad for honey -you need strong field force to make a surplus will the flow is on-RDY-B