Hi All:
I tried to find this information on the internet, but could not find it. Does anyone know what percentage of hives swarm in a given year? I'm just trying to get a general sense of things, so if you are an experienced bee keeper, chime in with your best guess.
Thanks much.
-Mark
If left to their own care, bees will swarm almost EVERY year.
If you take 10 feral colonies, or ten manged colonies and did not manipulate them at all, 9 out of ten colonies will swarm. And 5 out of 10 will swarm a second time. Not after swarms, but another swarming event 30-45 days later.
Bottom line, bees are programmed to swarm and perpetuate their species every year. That is the case with most insects, besides a few with specialized features such as the 7 year locust, etc.
Through beekeeper manipulation, like reversing boxes, expanding the brood chamber, etc., we can lower the swarming rate to perhaps 20-50%. But that all depends on the beekeeper.
It should tell you something when most established feral colonies are requeened every year. Nature puts it's chances and the best odds that successful colonies are headed by first year queens. It is the old queen that is cast off in swarms, where the winter kill rate may be as high as 90%.
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Swarming is honeybee's way tp reproduce. It is life's main puropose.
Non swarming means that human has selceted the stock which insting in this meaning is not normal. When you cross different stocks, this anomaly will be healed easily. Non stinging is same kind on breeded anomaly.
last year, some of my hives swarmed three times. That was after a very mild winter. This year, after a very harsh winter, I only had three swarms over all, out of 20 hives. After checking with some of the local beeks, they also had a very low swarm rate this year.
Thanks to all for the great information. This gives me an idea about what to expect. Thanks.
A number is impossible because of the issues of managment, as mentioned, and weather. A gorgeous, productive year for bees is more likely to cause swarms than an average year or a bad year. The more prosperous they are the more likely they will swarm and their prosperity varies by 200 fold or more from a good year to a bad one.