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Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />Swarms <br />Swarms are a natural part of the colony life cycle. <br />Issuing a swarm is the way a colony reproduces itself. <br />6ZDUPLQJVHDVRQRFFXUVGXULQJWKHHDUOLHVWSHDNRI <br />ÀRUDODYDLODELOLW\,Q0LQQHVRWDWKLVSHDNLVXVXDOO\ <br />LQPLG0D\ZKHQFORYHUEHJLQVWREORRP&RORQLHV <br />WKDWDUHKHDOWK\RYHUFURZGHGDQGFROOHFWLQJODUJH <br />amounts of nectar and pollen may prepare to swarm <br />by rearing a number of new queens. The resident <br />queen in the colony slowly stops laying eggs, and <br />ZKHQWKHGHYHORSLQJTXHHQFHOOV TXHHQSXSDH DUH <br />mostly sealed with a wax cap, the colony will swarm. <br />$ERXWKDOIRIWKHEHHVDQGWKHROGTXHHQZLOOWDNH <br />RIIWKHQFOXVWHURQDWUHH )LJXUH XVXDOO\ZLWKLQ <br />¼ mile of the old hive. There they go through an <br />DPD]LQJSURFHVVRIFROOHFWLYHGHFLVLRQPDNLQJVFRXW <br />bees share potential new nest sites through a dance <br />language, and the group decides democratically <br />RQWKHEHVWRQH 7RP6HHOH\¶VERRNHoneybee <br />Democracy,GHVFULEHVWKLVSURFHVVEHDXWLIXOO\ $ <br />VZDUPJHQHUDOO\FOXVWHUVRQDWUHHIRUGD\VZKLOH <br />JRLQJWKURXJKWKHGHFLVLRQPDNLQJSURFHVVDQGWKHQ <br />when ready, moves into the new cavity. Swarming <br />QRUPDOO\WDNHVSODFHHDUO\LQWKHVHDVRQWRHQVXUH <br />the colony can secrete wax, build comb, and collect <br />VXI¿FLHQWKRQH\IRUWKHZLQWHU+HQFHWKHPLGth <br />FHQWXU\SURYHUELDOEHHNHHSHUV¶VD\LQJ <br />)LJXUH$VZDUPLQWKHWUHHV:HVSRWWHGWKLVRQHLQWKH <br />UHDUYLHZPLUURUZKLOHKDYLQJOXQFKLQWKHWUXFN <br />$IHZGD\VDIWHUWKHVZDUPOHDYHVWKHQHZTXHHQVHPHUJHZLWKLQWKHRULJLQDOSDUHQWFRORQ\7KH¿UVWTXHHQ <br />to emerge destroys most, if not all, of the other developing queens in their cells. After maturing for about a <br />ZHHNWKHQHZTXHHQZLOOÀ\RXWRIWKHFRORQ\WRWDNHKHUPDWLQJÀLJKW6KHZLOOPDWHZLWKGURQHVIURP <br />QHLJKERULQJKLYHVIWLQWKHDLUDERXWóòPLOHDZD\IURPKHUFRORQ\6KHUHWXUQVWRWKHKLYHWKHVDPH <br />GD\DQGDIWHUGD\VZLOOEHJLQOD\LQJHJJVIRUWKHUHVWRIKHUOLIH6KHVWRUHVWKHVSHUPLQKHUVSHFLDOL]HG <br />RUJDQFDOOHGDVSHUPDWKHFDDQGZLOOQRWWDNHDQRWKHUPDWLQJÀLJKWODWHULQOLIH <br />On occasion, a colony will issue more than one swarm if a number of queens emerge after the prime swarm <br />departs. This afterswarmZLOOFRQWDLQDYLUJLQTXHHQWKDWSUHVXPDEO\WDNHVKHUPDWLQJÀLJKWRQFHWKHVZDUP <br />ORFDWHVDQHZQHVWLQJVLWH7KHORVVRIZRUNHUIRUFHZKHQDFRORQ\VZDUPVDQGSDUWLFXODUO\LILWLVVXHVDQ <br />afterswarm, can be substantial. <br />%HHNHHSHUVVKRXOGDYRLGOHWWLQJWKHLUFRORQLHVVZDUPSDUWLFXODUO\LQXUEDQDUHDVZKHUHWKHVZDUPPD\ <br />WDNHXSUHVLGHQFHLQXQZDQWHGORFDWLRQVVXFKDVWKHZDOOVRIDQHLJKERU¶VKRPH7RSUHYHQWVZDUPLQJZH <br />HQFRXUDJHEHHNHHSHUVWRGLYLGHVWURQJFRORQLHVWKDWKDYHVXUYLYHGWKHZLQWHUIROORZLQJWKHVWHSVRXWOLQHGLQ <br />WKLVPDQXDO'LYLGHVVKRXOGEHPDGHLQHDUO\WRPLG0D\before colonies have the impulse to swarm. In this <br />ZD\WKHEHHNHHSHULVIROORZLQJWKHEHHV¶QDWXUDOWHQGHQF\WRVZDUPEXWDYRLGLQJORVLQJWKHEHHVWRWKHWUHHV <br />:KHQDGLYLGHLVPDGHWKHEHHNHHSHUZLOOKDYHWZRFRORQLHVWRPDLQWDLQRYHUWKHVXPPHU,WLVNLQGRIOLNH <br />KDYLQJ\RXUFDNHDQGHDWLQJLWWRR <br />³$VZDUPLQ0D\LVZRUWKDORDGRIKD\DVZDUPLQ-XQH <br />LVZRUWKDVLOYHUVSRRQDVZDUPLQ-XO\LVQRWZRUWKDÀ\´