swarming queens

[jgmcbratney]

i should know but when a hive swarms with a clipped wings queen as the sole queen in the hive and she can't fly -who disappears into the blue as queen with the swarm? thanks

[Michael Bush]

Usually if the queen is clipped the swarm ends up on the ground in front of the hive and you have to find the queen and put her back. But the swarm queen cells will hatch and eventually a virgin may leave with a swarm or several may leave with afterswarms.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

If a queen is not clipped too severly she can still fly a short ways. If she is clipped evenly, she can still fly a ways too.

I saw a swarm just this year that was in a tree that had build up quite a bit of comb and left, and I think that they were there just long enough to supercede the queen that could not fly well.

I stopped ordering my queens clipped for just this reason. I figure if they are going to swarm anyway, give them a chance to make it as nature intended.

Bill