Honey bees behavior one day prior to swarming

honey bees will often exhibit this Behavior one day prior to swarming.

[@michaelfike7542]

Orientation flight new bees getting there GPS zeroed in. Possibly a mating flight for the new queen i have seen them do this for both reasons. I have a couple videos of a mating flight where you can see the queen coming back and going in the box. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g56YfnyMpZ2aea8

[@crzrck]

They swarmed within 12 hours of that video

[@michaelfike7542]

@crzrck sorry to hear that. It's a big swarm year. I have had swarms come to my yard several times this year. Some big enough for 2 deeps and a super.

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Yes the bees may swarm but I do not think that has anything to do with a swarm . It looks like a orientation flight an also I could not see it very well but it looks like you still have the entrance reducer on the entrance an also there are bees coming back in from bring back FOOD . If you look at the bees real close they are all facing the hive . If it was to do with a swarm they would be facing an flying every direction. Just a thought hope this helps . Not saying they will not swarm down the road someday

[@crzrck]

They swarmed 12 hours after I took this video

[@kathyhathaway8823]

@@crzrck yep that does happen. If you will look at your hives a lot of afternoons you will see this same type of flights . If you had had time that day you could have went in an split that colony an moved the mother hive queen out into a nuc or there is several ways you could have done it but you could have saved your bees . I hope you were able to catch your swarm so you did not lose all those bees . I hope you are have a great season in bee keeping. THANKS

[@crzrck]

@@kathyhathaway8823 I don't worry about them swarming I always catch a few swarms in the hives they don't make it anyway

[@Bobcagon]

Yep classic. Just had 1 swarm and I was pissed. I knew the weather was going to change to hotter. I went into the hive and pulled their food reserves and gave the queen more frames. Added 2 medium supers with comb. Did what I thought was best. Missed a frame that obviously had a QC on it and sure enough in the morning I noticed the same as you did. It’s early enough and still lots of bees so will see if they give a bit of honey.

[@crzrck]

@@Bobcagon bees reproduce you can't stop them from reproducing. If you're worried about honey production then you probably shouldn't keep bees right

[@rogerlbl7316]

Is swarming a bad thing?

[@crzrck]

Yes or no. Commercial beekeepers do not want them swarm. That's how honey bees reproduce per se. You want to keep the mated Queen so you're supposed to do what's called a split. You going to the hive you find the queen and you take a third of the bees with her and put her in a new hive. If I was a better beekeeper I'd be on top of this but you just get busy with life and it's a little too hard to do with sometimes. It's always the first week of May when they do this I should know better

[@rogerlbl7316]

@@crzrck Very informative, Thank You.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Tip : If you know you can't get to the Bees due to Office Schedule / a few Days away on Vacation : Then add a Queen Excluder under your Brood Box but above your Hive Floor ! Workforce can still do their Foraging, but your Queen is more likely to be 'Trapped*' within the Hive ! [Unless she has been on a forced Diet pre-swarm, then she may squeeze through.] Any Virgin Queens, if any (unmated, may also get through.) But as the Hives Queen and her QMP rule the Colony, if they leave, but she stays 'indoors' they too will return back Home once more ! Hope this helps. 😎 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2023 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Do this say for a couple of weeks max, you need the Colony to thrive and survive with procreation in late Spring to early Summer. That's Swarm behaviour either naturally and use catch them with Bait Hives, you bag your Swarm back into its own Box. Or you do Artificial Swarms these are called "Splits" taking Frames of Bees, with Capped Brood AND eggs : and they produce a New Queen. * Drones (Boy Bees) will also get Trapped by a QE they to can't fit through those QE slits (bars). So you will have to take the QE off, Check to see if you find your Queen, then let those Drones out once more ! 🤭