From: "huestis" <buzzybee@capital.net>
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 07:44:15 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: best mating time?

Hi Micky,

> I have heard that, in NY, bees swarm in the fall, during buckwheat bloom,
> a plant that blooms in the spring in its natural habitat. This is
> implying that temperate/cold climate bees swarm when spring plants
> bloom. Warm climate bees having other triggers.

I have no buckwheat in my area. No farmers bother to plant it any longer
(near me any ways).

Cell construction for swarming starts about mid-May with swarms casting
first week of June. I watch wild berries as they usually are right on track.
Often a rain spell at this time may trigger cell construction also. But in
general your statement is true. In my POV fall swarms are triggered by a
sudden stop for a period and spring conditions are mimicked to look like
spring build up period.

> Do fall swarms have any chance of surviving winter?

Yes. I have capture fall swarms in August and have wintered them (no
feeding, all foundation too!). I think it is the size of the cast that
counts here. Small casts will most likely fail. Large casts have about a 30%
chance of making it on there own. Probably depends on how good the fall flow is. Which can be very good from time to time. I wonder if small swarms often abscond and join other colonies? Would be interesting to know, but I have not witnessed this.

Clay