Swarming

[JordanM]

If you have enough room inside the boxes and enough boxes will your bees ever swarm or will they just stay there.

[bassman1977]

It's a natural tendency for bees to swarm.  This could happen one or more times.  Giving space is one of many ways to help prevent swarms, but one way or another, it will most likely happen.  Just try to capture the swarm (if you want) when it does happen.  If you can get the swarm, you have a new hive.

[sarafina]

So, does the queen leave with the swarm and the bees left behind raise a new queen?

[Michael Bush]

>If you have enough room inside the boxes and enough boxes will your bees ever swarm or will they just stay there.

It is the intent of every successful hive to swarm.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

[Jerrymac]

So, does the queen leave with the swarm and the bees left behind raise a new queen?

Yep

[Brian D. Bray]

With diligence a hive can be kept from swarm 2 years out of 3 by keeping the brood nest open and supering in a timely fashion.  But swarming by any hive just a matter of time.  I seen some do it 6-7 times in the same year.

[Cindi]

 :shock: :? :? :?  What on earth is wrong with those bees?  Eeeks!!!  I have New World Carniolan queens coming from California from Strachan Apiaries the end of April, I think I am in for it!!!  Oh no....and I thought my work was done, hee, hee, have a beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi

[DayValleyDahlias]

How many times a year?  I am  going to have to retire so I can stay home and figure out ways to trap my swarms???  ACK!!!

[bassman1977]

I am  going to have to retire so I can stay home and figure out ways to trap my swarms???

This is a bad thing, how?   :-P

[DayValleyDahlias]

LOl Bassman...

[Michael Bush]

>How many times a year?

Reproductive swarming is the problem.  That's only a brief period just before the main flow.  After that all you have to do is pile on supers to keep them from swarming.

[DayValleyDahlias]

Do you think this is what happened:

My one hive did well, I checked the 2 deep brood 2 weeks before the swarm.  Saw a frame of brood, didn't "think" I saw any swarm cells...but I have never seen one anyhoo.

When the bees swarmed, did they leave with a new queen, or the old one? 

When should I check the host hive for queen activity?

[Michael Bush]

>When the bees swarmed, did they leave with a new queen, or the old one?

If it was the primary (first) then the old one.  If you missed that one and it was the second one (afterswarm) then it's a virgin queen.

>When should I check the host hive for queen activity?

There should be a laying queen in about three weeks.  Do the math.  They swarm leaves about the time the cell is capped.  The cell is capped eight days from when the egg is layed.  So subtract that eight days from the 28 days that it takes from egg to laying queen and you have 20 days left.

[DayValleyDahlias]

Oh golly, I suffer from dyscalcula.  Hope I can figure it out.

[Cindi]

Sharon, holy smoking smoke!!!  I looked up the word dyscalcula and I think that I display some of the same things.  I have such issues with some stuff.  Didn't know there was a name for it.  Beautiful and wonderful day, love life.  Cindi

here's a link
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=886629

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm

[DayValleyDahlias]

So, if the swarm occurred March 3rd, and the cell was layed on 2/24 then new queen should hatch..I'll just wait around 3 weeks...