Mating 'swarm' or 'swarm drills'?

[Spear]

I didn't see it for myself but my mother phoned me today and told me that the bees had gone crazy! There were millions of bees in the air flying around near the hives. My 1st thought was SWARM! but then she say that they were not flying away just gathering around then going back into one of the hives. The other hives were normal activity. She snapped a few photos of the chaos. Could it of been a 'swarm drill' as my son calls it or was it the escort for a queen mating flight?  :?

[sc-bee]

Looks like the queen was not quite ready ... but they are. If not already gone. I have seen a return with a clipped queen but not a return with a normal queen. Just my experience I am sure others have seen it.

[D Semple]

What he said. ^^^^

If the queen can fly and you have decent weather they will be gone in the next day or two.

If you are not where you can catch them when they swarm, split them.

Luck. ....Don

[BeeMaster2]

I have seen the same thing and caught the queen as she came out. I put her in a cage in a nuc expecting the bees to go in but they refused. It was a mating flight for her not a swarm.
Jim

[sc-bee]

I have seen the same thing and caught the queen as she came out. I put her in a cage in a nuc expecting the bees to go in but they refused. It was a mating flight for her not a swarm.
Jim

As I thought about it I have seen it once (8yrs ago my second year of beekeeping) ...... never considered it may be a mating flight..... but they swarm a few days later.

[Spear]

Well just to be on the 'safe side' I put out 2 swarm traps - baited with a few old frames of comb and a cotton ball with lemon grass oil. Hope that if they do swarm that they will take up residence in one of the traps then at least I don't lose them...