From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:50:24 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: best mating time?

Clay replying to Micky:

> 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.

Reply:
Clay when you say cast, are you talking about the size of the ball of bees
cast out? Can you give any referrence as to actual size here?

> I wonder if small swarms often
> abscond and join other colonies? Would be interesting to know, but I have
> not witnessed this.

Reply:
It is natural in the wild for smaller groups to join larger groups. I
videoed it once in the 1980s when we were up on Mt Hopkins in a beeyard in
the late fall. It is indeed something to see. It's not like a fighting scene
the way the bees do it. When the bees want to do it, it sort of like a bunch
of people meeting and eyeing each other up, and then many coming out, and then all out going back in together for a big long winter party, like Clans
getting together!

Dee