Swarming

Topic: Honey Production/swarm management

Swarming is the normal natural habit of bees to propagate the race. It is a genetic trait. For the honey producer a swarm is bad news because the bees that make up the swarm are lost as honey gatherers for the hive. And for good honey production, the hive needs all of these workers in the field gathering the available nectar for storage in your honey supers. The loss of a swarm is the loss of a super of honey or more.

What contributes to swarming behavior?

It is a spring event (but not always) usually associated with rapid build up of bee populations.
Some say it is due to the reduced pheromone production of older queens.
Almost always related to the reduced number of open cells available for a queen to lay eggs.
Crowding within the hive -- bees laying on the outside of the hive because there is not enough room inside the hive for them.
Some queens produce bees more inclined to swarm than others (A genetic trait).

You will need a swarm management plan. Your plan will need to fit your style of beekeeping! It should include the following:

A plan for replacing queens on an annual basis. Young queens will pay for themselves quickly
A plan to use strong hives to add strength to weaker hives.
A plan for replacing dead out hives.
A plan to examine and inspect all hives. Many books describe various methods to remove queen cells to prevent swarming. I recommend you stay on top of the situation before cell building begins because once the bees begin to build queen cells you will have a swarming problem.

Swarm prevention:

Replacing old queens
Adding room for expansion of bee population
Hive management (Making splits, moving frames from strong to weak hives, etc).

So lets take a look at what we have pointed out!

Queens:

Young queens are more prolific than old queens. They are less likely to swarm but do not jump to the conclusion that a young queen will not swarm. They will if other conditions in the hive are favorable for swarming. Finding a good breeder of queens and get your order in early will be your greatest challenge.

Replacing dead hives and increasing the strength of weak hives:

A loss of many hives of bees over the winter season can be disastrous for the honey producer. However, it is a problem faced by many beekeepers and is handled effectively by many of them. As mentioned under feeding, one way to prevent swarming is to use your strong hives to strengthen your weak hives and to make increases to replace the hives that die out. Replace the queen in any weak hive! (See hive management for honey production)

Some beekeepers place bait trap hives around their bee yards to capture swarms. The swarms that enter these bait hives can be used to increase hive numbers or used to strengthen weak hives.

Hive inspections:

This is the most neglected task of the commercial beekeeper. Hive inspections take time. Inspection during the spring should include:

Evaluate the queen and brood nest for brood production.
Check for disease/treat if found well before honey production is to begin.
Check for surplus food (honey and pollen). Supply if needed.
Check for damage to frames from mice, etc. Replace if necessary.
Check for the presence of skunks which can do considerable damage to your bee population and upset your hive of bees to the point they remain in the hive to defend it rather than gather honey. Eliminate them by trapping.
Check for any repairs or replacements needed for the equipment.