Honeybound?

[FRAMEshift]

I hear the word "honeybound" alot and the explanation is usually that there is so much flow that the bees put the honey in the brood comb and then, because the queen has no place to lay.... the hive swarms.  This sounds a bit odd to me.

BWrangler does not address the issue directly but he does say that when a hive has decided to swarm, the queen stops laying and the bees move honey and diluted honey into the unused brood area so it will be available for the swarm cluster to quickly gorge on before they leave the hive.

This second explanation makes more sense to me.  I can't see the bees putting honey in precious brood space and then saying Opps!, gosh we messed up.... I guess we will have to leave now.  I think the cause and effect works the other way.  Don't they decide to go and THEN backfill the brood nest?

[Kathyp]

there are more than one reason for swarming.  in the spring, it's planned.  those are reproductive swarms.  later, the main reason for swarming is crowding....or they just decide to do it  :)

when there is a heavy flow, the bees will collect all that they can.  because we have encouraged early build up so that we can take the honey, they often get crowded both by numbers and by what they bring in.  we have restricted their ability to expand, so they may store honey where the queen would have laid.  if that happens, you may get a swarm.  you may not, but will shut down your queen and your population of bees will go down.

so....both explanations are correct.  it just depends on what kind of swarming you are talking about.

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesterms.htm#h
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

[slacker361]

does that mean that if you see this happening, if you take the brood frames that have the honey in it, and replace with empty brood frames you can keep them from swarming?

[FRAMEshift]

does that mean that if you see this happening, if you take the brood frames that have the honey in it, and replace with empty brood frames you can keep them from swarming?

Yes, you just rediscovered MB's brood opening method discussed in the second link of his post.

[slacker361]

wow great mind think alike  how did i come up with that   LOL