Should You Catch a Small Swarm of Bees?
Finding a small swarm of bees can leave a beekeeper wondering if it is really worth the effort to catch them. After all, a cluster that barely fills a coffee can doesn’t look very promising. But, small swarms can grow into good colonies—if they have a viable queen, enough time and a beekeeper willing to give them a little extra help. Let’s look at the things you should consider before catching a tiny swarm.
Honey bee swarming is a natural part of colony life, though we don’t always want this to happen. If you are new to the process, my guide to honey bee swarms explains why bees swarm and what beekeepers can expect during swarm season.
Is a Tiny Bee Swarm Worth Saving?
It is the wise beekeeper that stops to consider “is this really worth doing?” when faced with a small swarm.
Some of my strongest colonies started out as rather unimpressive little clusters of bees. But, I have also wasted effort on tiny swarms that just did not make it.
If the weather outside is humid with temperatures in the 90s—I admit to having a greater pause. Though it is not always true, we tend to judge swarm potential by size.
Before you grab your swarm-catching gear, take a good look at what you have. How small is the swarm, what time of year is it and are you willing to give this little colony some extra help?
How Small is too Small?
There is no exact size that determines whether a small bee swarm is worth catching. But, we often describe swarm size by comparing the cluster to familiar objects—a baseball, softball, cantaloupe or basketball.
Of course, these are only rough estimates. Bees don’t always cooperate by forming a perfectly shaped ball for us to measure.
A baseball-sized bee swarm is certainly small and may contain too few workers to establish a strong colony without some help. But, size alone doesn’t tell the whole story.
For example:
- Softball-size – 2,000-3,000 bees
- Basketball-size 10,000 or more
Most of the swarms I catch are somewhere in between these sizes but even the small ones can thrive with proper care and a little luck.
While this is just a guess or average – it does give you some preliminary data.
Learning to judge colony strength is one of those beekeeping skills that gets easier with experience. If you are still learning how to evaluate a colony, my online beekeeping class walks you through the practical basics of caring for honey bees throughout the season.
Rather than worrying about an exact number of bees, use the size of the cluster as one part of your decision.
5 Things to Consider Before Catching One
1. What Time of Year Is It?
Small swarms collected early in the season have more time to grow and establish themselves before winter. But, those gathered in late summer or fall may struggle due to limited time and forage availability.
This doesn’t mean that a late-season swarm isn’t worth catching. If your tiny swarm arrives late in the season, my guide to fall bee swarms takes a closer look at the challenges these colonies face and whether they have a realistic chance of surviving winter.
2. Does the Swarm Have a Queen?
Some small swarms are after-swarms (secondary swarms) that leave the mother colony after the first or primary swarm has departed. These smaller swarms often contain a virgin queen rather than a mated queen.
A virgin queen needs time to mature, mate and begin laying eggs, so don’t be too quick to assume the colony is queenless if you don’t see eggs right away. Once the colony has settled in, look for a mated queen with a good brood pattern.
If the colony remains queenless, you may need to provide a queen, combine it with another colony or use the bees elsewhere.
3. Do You Have the Right Equipment?
A small swarm does not need a lot of room in the beginning. If possible, I like to place small swarms in a nuc box or other appropriately sized hive. Giving them a frame or two of drawn comb can also be a big help.
Keep the entrance small enough for the colony to defend. Small colonies can be especially vulnerable to robbing by other bees, particularly when nectar is scarce.
4. Can You Give Them Extra Care?
A small swarm may need a little extra help to get off to a good start. Feeding bees sugar water can help a new swarm get established, especially when natural forage is limited.
Over the next few weeks, make sure the queen is laying and the population is beginning to grow.
You may also be able to give the colony a frame of capped brood from a strong hive. Emerging workers provide a population boost without adding more young brood for the colony to care for.
The goal is not to constantly interfere with the colony but to give it enough help to get over that difficult period while the population is small.
5. Could the Colony Be Useful Elsewhere?
Not every small swarm will grow into a strong production colony—and that doesn’t mean catching it was a waste of time. I often keep small colonies as resources for my production hives.
A small colony may provide a spare queen, brood, bees or drawn comb when another hive needs help—especially if you suddenly find yourself with a queenless hive or one that needs a population boost.
For me, this potential value is another reason I don’t automatically pass up a small swarm just because of its size.
If it is easy and safe to collect (always consider beekeeper safety), I may decide that it is worth giving those bees a chance.
Why Size Matters?
A small swarm has fewer workers to build comb, gather food, care for brood and defend the hive, putting it at a disadvantage compared to a larger swarm.
Even with a good laying queen, it takes about 21 days for new workers to emerge, and during that time the colony is in a race to replace the older bees that are dying.
With fewer bees to begin with, there is simply less room for things to go wrong.
When It May Be Better to Walk Away
As much as I enjoy catching swarms, not every one is worth the effort. A tiny cluster late in the season, one that will require more resources than you have available or a swarm in a difficult location may be better left alone.
Also, consider whether you really need another colony. If your bee yard is already full, catching another swarm—even a free one—means another hive to manage.
Most importantly, no swarm is worth getting hurt over. If the bees are high in a tree or in a location that is unsafe to reach, admire them from a distance and let them go on their way.
Why I Still Give Them a Chance
In spite of the challenges, I still enjoy catching small swarms. If one is easy to reach and I have the equipment and resources available, I usually think it is worth a try.
There are no guarantees in beekeeping, but sometimes taking a chance on a little cluster of bees pays off.
Final Thoughts
A small swarm of bees can be worth catching, especially early in the season when they have plenty of time to grow. A good queen, enough workers and a little help from the beekeeper can make all the difference.
Don’t discount a tiny swarm based on size alone. Sometimes that little ball of bees may surprise you.
I agree, Charlotte! Lots of good info in your article. I collect them if I have a spare nuk box around or have time to build one and usually try to keep a few nuks around. They are my “parts hives” for my main colonies. If I need to bolster a main colony, provide a queen to replace a failing or missing queen in the main colony, I pull from those nuks. The swarms (small or large) may take some work and resources to get them up and running, but when a main colony gets into trouble, those nuks quickly become invaluable and save me money that might have been spent on queens or packages.
Me too Ted, if they are easy to access – why not. They may not survive into a full hive but they won’t in the wild either.
Very useful thank you
Thank you