Bee Swarm – What is Swarming?
A bee swarm is a thrilling sight. Thousands of bees in flight, the mass moves through the air heading for a new home. Swarming is reproduction on the colony level. What does a bee swarm mean and can we prevent swarming?
Swarming bees are certainly exciting. A bee swarm makes the heart of any beekeeper beat just a bit faster.
When a colony swarms, about half of the population leaves to make a new hive in another location. This is a natural part of honey bee lives.
Reproduction on the colony level allows for more colonies of bees. It also helps spread colonies out over a wider region.
In nature, this prevents overcrowding and too much competition for resources.
However, we beekeepers don’t really want our colonies to swarm. Colonies that swarm produce less excess honey.
It’s hard to see half of our bees fly away for parts unknown. Beekeepers invest a lot of time into techniques to reduce or prevent swarming. Do they work? Sometimes…
But often, the colony will swarm anyway. Then, we hope the original hive will be able to make a new queen from queen cells left behind.
Bee Swarm
The bee swarm is reproduction on the colony level. What is a bee swarm? The colony grow large and crowded. On a given day approximately half the bees in the hive and the queen leave for a new home.
Beekeepers strive to reduce swarming behavior because it results in a loss of honey production. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes swarming can not be stopped.
A bee swarm. Thousands of bees in flight or a mass of bees hanging in a tree. Why do bees swarm? Why would half the colony population leave their home.
This seemingly reckless behavior by honey bees has worked well for millions of years. What honey bee swarming means - a better understanding.
Why do bees swarm? A look into the causes of bee swarms. Can beekeepers prevent swarming? Sometimes, they do but sometimes the bees win and swarm anyway!
Setting up swarm traps or bait hives is a lot of fun. Traps should be check regularly to make sure they are in good condition.
How to attract a bee swarm to your bait hive or swarm trap. Beekeepers employ different methods of swarm lures and bait. Swarm traps come in all different kinds of materials and sizes.
Catching a honey bee swarm is a great way to increase your hive numbers. If the swarm came from your hive, catching them prevents their loss.
Tips and tricks for catching a honey bee swarm!
You will never forget your first big swarm catch. What are you waiting for? Get those swarm traps out there and catch some free bees.
Learning how to deal with honey bees and work with their natural tendencies is a major part of beekeeping.
It is impossible to control bees. Their instinctive needs will always win out. We can however, work with those natural desires of the bee.
Hopefully, guiding them in a way to do not harm and still allow for a profitable adventure in our hives.
Beehive Management
