Bad weather delays swarming. But if it long enough will they change their mind or swarm despite rain.
Yes and No.
Once a hive gets into a swarm mode it hardly ever changes its mind. However, if the new queen and the old queen tangle due to rain delay, and one dies and providing the new queen has killed off the unhatched or just hatched queens the hive will not swarm until another queen is raised, which gives about 3 weeks to time a split (an artifical swarming). Super immediately as bees swarm due to crowding of bees or honey stores--supering is the only hope of offsetting a swarm mode under that situation and may not be successful. Then if too late in the season you can either nurse the split or re-combine and maybe use one of the queens on a different hive with a failing or dead queen.
Note that in most cases of foul weather (fowl weather is for the ducks)swarming was delayed not averted.
I've known hives to swarm in the rain but they will usually land on the nearest object if they do. One settled on at the bottom of a fence post less than 10 feet from the parent hive another on the back side of a neighboring hive.
If you're in the apiary when a hive begins to swarm remember that rain or the threat of rain will make the bees settle. I've used a garden hose to settle a swarm more than a few times. The sound of thunder does the same thing (the threat of rain) I settled one swarm by grabbing the dog dish and beating on it with my hive tool. Try to make it rhythmatic, a second or two apart and the louder the better.
You know I have heard that if you bang pots together that swarming bees will settle. Actually my wife grandmother, who is 86 said that her dad used plow sheers to settle swarming bees that he owned. I have asked a couple of beekeepers that are much older then me and they told me it was a myth. Does Anyone else know if this is true of a myth?
Scott
> Does Anyone else know if this is true of a myth?
I've never tried it. Many people swear it works, they, of course, have tried it. Many people swear it's a myth. They, of course have not tried it. :)
I don't have an opinion and I have not tried it.