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Swarms
<br /> Swarms are a natural part of the colony life cycle.
<br /> Issuing a swarm is the way a colony reproduces itself. ;
<br /> Swarming season occurs during the earliest peak of 74,44 Ate. • R ` ;, ,.
<br /> floral availability. In Minnesota this peak is usually a " • 44 ` ,� ► ;
<br /> in mid-May when clover begins to bloom. Colonies • , : ! y r
<br /> •that are healthy, over-crowded, and collecting large v �r• "�j �` =°
<br /> amounts of nectar and pollen may prepare to swarm ,rt04'4
<br /> by rearing a number of new queens. The resident }
<br /> queen in the colony slowly stops laying eggs, and
<br /> when the developing queen cells (queen pupae) are '°.•
<br /> mostly sealed with a wax cap, the colony will swarm.
<br /> About half of the bees and the old queen will take 4.'4' `. • �-
<br /> off, then cluster on a tree (Figure 11), usually within - "
<br /> 1/4 mile of the old hive. There they go through an \
<br /> amazing process of collective decision making: scout I ;.
<br /> bees share potential new nest sites through a dance
<br /> 4.
<br /> language, and the group decides democratically , -� •
<br /> �' < '
<br /> on the best one. (Tom Seeley's book, Honeybee _ '�, -+
<br /> Democracy, describes this process beautifully). A -. 44 r a
<br /> swarm generally clusters on a tree for 1-3 days while ' - i'.` ,► + '1; 14.4
<br /> going through the decision-making process, and then ., .2 i, ' ' jj f. " ' ^ :`
<br /> when ready, moves into the new cavity. Swarming ,fix- ', ; i f�f: •,• ;,,•
<br /> normally takes place early in the season to ensure • ''.• , a - • Y
<br /> the colony can secrete wax, build comb, and collect Figure 11.A swarm in the trees.We spotted this one in the
<br /> sufficient honey for the winter. Hence the mid 17th rearview mirror while having lunch in the truck. 4111
<br /> century proverbial beekeepers' saying:
<br /> "A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June
<br /> is worth a silver spoon; a swarm in July is not worth a fly."
<br /> A few days after the swarm leaves, the new queens emerge within the original, parent colony. The first queen
<br /> to emerge destroys most, if not all, of the other developing queens in their cells.After maturing for about a
<br /> week, the new queen will fly out of the colony to take her mating flight. She will mate with 10-20 drones from
<br /> neighboring hives, 20-30 ft in the air, about '/- '/2 mile away from her colony. She returns to the hive the same
<br /> day, and after 4-7 days will begin laying eggs for the rest of her life. She stores the sperm in her specialized
<br /> organ called a spermatheca and will not take another mating flight later in life.
<br /> On occasion, a colony will issue more than one swarm if a number of queens emerge after the prime swarm
<br /> departs. This afterswarm will contain a virgin queen that presumably takes her mating flight once the swarm
<br /> locates a new nesting site. The loss of worker force when a colony swarms, and particularly if it issues an
<br /> afterswarm, can be substantial.
<br /> Beekeepers should avoid letting their colonies swarm, particularly in urban areas where the swarm may
<br /> take up residence in unwanted locations such as the walls of a neighbor's home. To prevent swarming, we
<br /> encourage beekeepers to divide strong colonies that have survived the winter, following the steps outlined in
<br /> this manual. Divides should be made in early to mid-May, before colonies have the impulse to swarm. In this
<br /> way, the beekeeper is following the bees' natural tendency to swarm, but avoiding losing the bees to the trees. •
<br /> When a divide is made, the beekeeper will have two colonies to maintain over the summer. It is kind of like
<br /> having your cake and eating it too!
<br /> Beekeeping in Northern Climates 10
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