BBKA Forum

Hi All

One of my backyard colonies has just swarmed. I knew something was up when I inspected yesterday. Lots of brood, some uncapped, but no eggs. Unfortunately, after swarming last year my Queen remained unmarked, which made the job of diagnosing what was going on all the harder. Had Queeny already gone, or died (1 year old) ? I found one capped Q cell in a slightly undecided position that alluded to neither swarming nor supercedure. The colony was covering all frames and looked very healthy. I decided to leave it one more day to think and consider my next move, alas, a swarm has just gone, ignoring my lovely nucs which I ran out with, dripped in swarm lure. After last year, I have left them with a super all winter and they're in a 14x12 hive. Made no difference it seems. They've been booming since the warm weather in March. I can't help but think that if this weather pattern continues in the years to come, we should rethink our timings and consider March as the start of the season (for the bees at least) and be more vigilant. Any one else experiencing swarming now?
Location: York

I remember in my first year chasing a swarm with a box- come back we can talk about it!
Pitifully futile.
I honestly don't think all the internet myth about things like providing extra space make much difference.There may well be triggers but a trigger will only work on a loaded gun
If they get the urge to go( that's what they're programmed to do anyway) then they will throw up a cell and go whatever you do.

Artificial swarms by splitting however. give them the impression that they've done it themselves so you do have a bit more control.
But still no guarantees....

Thanks Alfred! I think you're right, though last year a swarm lure worked like a dream, but perhaps it was pure luck. I also think you're right about space. I think a large colony is destined to swarm no matter what. I was literally on the verge of splitting them too, just too late. ....

We can all be caught out when there is a flow on and the colony switches from being on emergency rations to be jammed full in the space of a week.
You didn't say how many actual frames of brood are in the hive - and whether one super is therefore enough to house all the bees? However some are pre-programmed to leave the box at a moments notice whatever you do.
They may have already decided where to move to before a queencell was sealed, so throwing out bait hives in a hurry is just a long-shot, I think. (didn't work for me anyway).
I've also chased behind swarms - they travel too fast. For me anyway!

I for one am a great believer in giving space. A large colony coming out of winter with a good queen and a week of warm weather can be out of space in no time at all. As the brood emerges the cells are filled instead with nectar and the Q can't lay. If you have left winter stores in place the bees will have moved some of that into the super further reducing space.
You need space for bees not just nectar. Last week I put a brood box of foundation on a colony and 6 days later they have drawn the whole thing out and the queen has laid up 6 frames, all eggs, so she must have done that over 3 days............ Makes you think

Yes Mick I think that is where I went wrong on two of my colonies that weren't doing too well, too much food clogging up the brood frames giving nowhere for the queen to lay!! I've taken some out now so I'll see how they go but sometimes its just guessing on my part and trial and error !!!:)

But a supered 14:12?

Maybe they've been "genetically modified" ??!!
I've used the snelgrove 2 method with one of mine and they have now drawn out 2 supercedure cells in top box with queen and in the lower box with just one frame of sealed brood and eggs various loaded queen cells wanting another queen??!! I'm going to have to join a couple of colonies else I'll run out of garden space!!

Tell me about it Jo
I have to split with nucs this year and I'm having to think carefully where they will go to avoid causing problems.
I wasn't counting on them all getting through the winter,so now a full inspection is taking a huge chunk of our one day off.

I've been thinking about my predicament overnight and may destroy the queen cells in the bottom box of my snelgrove 2 method and that way I could rejoin bottom and top box although I think unless on brood and a half or double they could throw up queen cells again??!! Hmmmm........