Swarming Question

[MedDoc2B]

:eek:

Alright, here's a quick overview...
So late last summer I bought a nuc (5 frames). I was able to move it into a 10 frame hive. They were able to cover about 4 additional frames, drawn comb and fill them with honey...and they made it thru this miserable winter we had (I'm in IL)! This spring however, since I live in the city, I added a second hive body to ensure that the queen does not swarm. I dont need the neighbors calling the exterminators... or worse! Sure enough, immediately they had moved up there and settled into the 3 middle frames, but they swarmed! I was under the impression that as long as she (the queen) has room she will not feel the need to swarm. Now I read that if there are numerous queen cells the colony can once again subdivide and swarm with one of the new queens. Is this a possibility? And why didnt the extra room subdue the instinct to swarm?

[Ruben]

Everything you do is to slow down or suppress the swarming nature. You will not stop it! You may have decided to put a hive body on after they decided to swarm as well. They will sometimes continue to swarm( afterswarms) after the first swarm. You may get 4-5 swarms from one hive in less that two weeks. Get some boxes ready.

[Michael Bush]

If they are trying to reproduce the hive, room will not stop them.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

Read Walt Wrights articles on swarming for a clear understanding of the sequence of events leading to swarming.

[MedDoc2B]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. Sure enough, you can't stop mother nature...! I think I'll leave an empty nuc nearby just in case, and buy the swarming pheromone attractant if they decide to look for a new home yet again.

[MedDoc2B]

:eek:

Sure enough, today I found dead virgin queens outside my hive... So it has begun!!!!


Hey, is the swarm lure/attractant as effective as they say it is? I just bought some to put inside an empty nuc nearby my old hive just in case there's some afterswarms. Any opinions/feedback on this?

[rkr]

I live near KC MO. Is swarm season still going on? Would a swarm put on undrawn foundation be viable enough to survive the winter? I have three swarm traps and some pheromone I got last week when my source for a Nuc fell through. I was told by most of the local people I called in search of bees that it is over for the year.
I did get five frames of brood and bees w/ a queen this weekend so I was busy hiving them and did not get out and "set the traps. Should I get them out there?

Rod

[Cedar Hill]

You can avoid the swarming tendency by making a split or requeening early. ("Early" depends on your area of the country". Requeening when the queen becomes two years old, is a relatively good swarm control rule. If you requeen then there is no need for a split. Splitting early is essentially creating an artificial swarm and will discourage them from swarming later. Works for me.

[franktrujillo]

i took a bought new queen in april..took 2 frames of honey from original hive and new comb with some young hanging bees no brood moved orignal hive 15' back.. all foragers entered new hive..had no drones until two days ago in origanal hive..:D