How to Prevent Swarming of Bees | Learn Step by Step with Bruce White

Learn how to Prevent Swarming of Bees. Swarming is the natural process of bees increasing in numbers. The aim of this video is to show you how to manage your colonies to control and prevent swarming. Swarming is not desirable as you risk losing up to half the colony bees, and with possible nuisance bee implications. Always be observant and only interchange disease free material and healthy bees between colonies.
Thank you to Bruce White OAM for sharing his vast knowledge.
To learn a lot more about how, when and why bees swarm check out our swarm page saveourbees.com.au/swarms/
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Chapters
00:00 begin & opening titles
00:24 intro to swarm prevention & control
00:52 swarming is bees natural means of increasing in numbers
01:15 external signs that bees are likely to swarm
02:03 bees returning exhausted from the field
02:25 indications of overcrowding
03:31 inspecting inside a strong colony in spring
04:03 inspecting the brood box
05:38 observing a dummy queen cell (also known as a play cup)
06:00 look for warm cells that may appear on any frame in the brood box
06:19 bees build 3 types of queen cells A. supercedure (usually 3 on the face of the comb B. emergency (up to 30 on the face of the comb C. swarm (at least 12 on the bottom edge of the brood comb)
06:41 observing pollen,sealed & unsealed brood, dummy cell
07:47 emerging of a newly born worker bee
08:04 presence of drones in August (just before Spring time)
08:29 good example of a colony that may swarm with a lot of capped brood & a young queen
08:53 note the queen is marked with a white dot by the beekeeper for easy identification
09:32 marking the queen with a white Posca" pen"
10:03 reasons to prevent your hives from swarming
10:24 steps to prevent hives from swarming
10:44 expanding the size of the cavity
12:06 making more room in the brood box
13:55 alternating sealed brood frames with empty frames
14:21 placing empty frames in the brood box will give the queen more room to lay eggs & workers more work to do
14:40 re-assembling the hive
15:12 replacing frames of honey in the super with brood frames
16:22 check brood in super for queen cells 5 days after moving above the excluder
16:58 when adding bees to a weak hive, shake new nurse bees in front of hive to avoid fighting
17:37 if possible avoid excess smoke to keep nurse bees on the brood frames to be removed
18:55 move nurse bees into a weak hive to avoid fighting. The nurse bees will mature to become field bees
19:36 reasons for shaking new nurse bees in front of a weak hive
20:00 the demaree method
20:45 when rotating the hive 180 degrees, secure the hive firmly with a strap or Emlock
23:01 placing a new queen bee in your queenless box
24:48 uniting 2 colonies with newspaper to slowly unite colonies
25:48 bees using scent glands to guide field bees returning
26:09 explaining the result of the 180 degree box turn
26:46 this hive is fitted with a beetle jail to trap small hive beetles & is not related to the demaree method
27:25 closing summary with reasons to prevent hives swarming
28:50 end
#BeeSwarms #SwarmPrevention #Swarming

[@cerberus1595]

I watched this last year and I'm watching it again as a refresher now the Frost out here is building off. This remains the clearest swarm prevention video I've ever seen and touches up on the basics as well just in case your mind gets lazy over winter and forgets that one important detail that could have made your life easier. I don't think we have the same bee species, nor do we have the same climate as we're in vastly different parts of the world, but the basics are still very much the same. There isn't a better video as an introduction or refresher on the topic of swarm control on KZbin than this.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks for the great feedback. Bruce is a very knowledgable beekeeper and very generous with his time. We are in Sydney, Australia where most of the honey bees found in apiaries are Apis Melifera and decedants from mainly Italian Queens. What part of the world are you? Ansd what type of honey bees do you have?

[@tea.dubs8532]

Buoys=bees, coin=queen.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks for the comment. I hope you wenjoyed the information.

[@livingadamman7994]

Thank you great to see an Aussie on YT with the old school ethic and know how ! Cheers

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks and cheers to you to.🙂

[@naturallynorthwest9748]

What a great explanation on how to prevent swarming. Thank you!

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@paulg9314]

Great video. Bruce explains things very clearly. Well done Bruce and crew.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks Paul G for your support. Yes Bruce is wonderful.👍

[@aricibayraktarkardesler_NL]

Nice to see how fellow beekeepers in other countries are working. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@robertbridges4065]

One of my hives built comb on the under surface of the inner cover. They filled the comb with honey. I removed some of this comb for comb honey. The hive was not crowded, they weren't trying to swarm. Good informative video.

[@BaltzerVids]

Unbelievable knowledge and a willingness to share. Bruce you are indeed a legend mate!

[@SaveOurBees]

Yes Bruce is like no other. Thank you kindly.

[@iowasenator]

Greetings from America! I LOVE your Aussie accent! May I call you "Crocodile DunBEE"? hehe

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi and thanks mate. We are glad you enjoyed it... happy beekeeping

[@iowasenator]

@@SaveOurBees You're most welcome! I hope that the kangaroos leave your hives alone! hehe

[@SaveOurBees]

@@iowasenator 😄😄😄

[@fathernut7091]

Crocodile DunDEAD

[@justhearmeout3959]

I have autism, and I'm delighted by how he pronounces "bees" I've been repeating it, trying to pronounce it the way he does 😅

[@georgevernham2784]

Fantastic video, much appreciated that you and your crew took the time to share your wealth of knowledge.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi George, Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@heikeroberts1127]

Love this information - its content packed and so valuable. Thank you :):)

[@SaveOurBees]

thanks Bruce has put a lot into this. Hopefully you found something to help your skills.

[@danno1800]

That was really SMART! Thanks for teaching us how to handle that situation. I am SUBSCRIBING!

[@TheCleads]

Excellent explanation. Thank you. You are a wonderful teacher!!!!

[@chrisblester37]

One of the best bee videos iv ever seen will keep this for further reference Thanks very much

[@Hemdog1]

Hi Bruce, thank you for this information. I don't have a bee hive but I have been following bee keepers like yourself so I can lean as much as I can about bee's. I have hit the Subscribe button. All I can do is help to save our bee's any way possible. Cheers ....

[@Petal300]

Thanks Bruce for a great video and very clear explanations... what a gem!

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@NicosUnic]

Loving the content guys! Keep it up

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Nico, many thanks.. more to come stay tuned

[@MikesManCave]

Subscribed, best bee video I have seen on KZbin. Excellent presentation and explanation.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Mike. Thanks mate for the comment. Bruce is excellent.. no better teacher to learn from.

[@cassiegopalakrishna]

Thats lot of detailed information 👍. Thanks for the video 🙏

[@rasta1979]

that is just GOLD

[@Hirokiji]

Awesome simple maintenance routines. 19:00 is a great old system we sometimes used. Demaree board method was an awesome explanation.

[@sharonwellings6927]

Great video and very informative. Like the text boxes.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks or the feedback Sharon. More videos coming real soon.

[@liamaiden2313]

Best video ever created on KZbin about swarming, and prevention, well done Sir. I used the padgen method on one hive today and demaree last week on one that had potential to build cells in the next two weeks. Another hive I used the method of moving up brood and providing laying space. Gotta try them all 😂.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Liam thanks for the great feedback

[@sandradsa1340]

The best one on this specific subject of preventing swarming i have seen so far. I am a new beek from Goa, India and i keep Apis Cerena bees. Thanks Bruce for your generosity in putting this video and information out for us newbies. Thanks again and God bless

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you to you too, Sandra. Best Wishes.

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Here... It's early AUGUST says this Beekeeper as he does this Video on Swarming. And the Pom, (Slang for a Brit... ) thinks yes it is ! But I'm not Down Under.... Where it's EARLY SPRING 😆 So go by Spring, and not August. (We aren't even getting a decent summer here)... Typical for Scotland ! 🤭 Happy Beekeeping 2021. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@brettwashburn9611]

Buoys are a beautiful thing cheers

[@glynnisjames8589]

Learnt heaps just with this video. Thank you

[@meagano8496]

Very informative! Thank you for sharing!

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@colinlyne8688]

This is excellent thank you.

[@SevenIsaCannibal7]

I love the way this man says "Bees"

[@SaveOurBees]

It's the way we say is in Australia. Thanks

[@charliesmith8180]

Very good information. I'm a newbee so I'll go back and watch this several times. Thank you Sir.

[@Tonnyy11]

The Best video I’ve seen to date

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the video. Please tell your friends 🤗

[@user-pv3tt5en8m]

A fantastic video lot's of knowledge

[@brucesbees]

Just found this video/channel and I really like it! Good information. New subscriber here in Alabama, USA

[@vincerieger6143]

Awesome information. Thanks

[@hellhole7422]

Great video!!, Just caught my 2nd swarm ever today from my hives. I thought they had plenty of room last week when i checked but obviously not.

[@SaveOurBees]

That is awesome! Thanks for the support😀

[@jamesc2212]

I loved the presentation best I have seen!

[@kostakrstevski6378]

Excellen pressentation save our bees and i love this presentation thank you.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks Kosta. The presenter Bruce, is remarkable.

[@jimhegarty9561]

Thank you!

[@rickywallace2067]

Nice to see, thanks!!

[@allenferry1268]

Outstanding video.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you very much!

[@pUmPuM623]

oooo man. Very very informative. i learned more in this [ur video] than i did in 11 other peoples video. thank u sir.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Lewis. Thanks for the very positive feedback. The presenter, Bruce White, is arguably the most experienced and knowledgeable beekeeper and technical apicilture specialist in Australia. The more I watch from Bruce, the more I learn.

[@georgegarcia5052]

Great video!

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks very much

[@ShinetheLightofTruth]

This was such a good video, I'm going to make a point to watch all your videos. Thank you.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Just found your channel and subscribed. Love the content!

[@SaveOurBees]

Awesome, thank you!

[@noahriding5780]

Rather nice bee channel you have here. This is my first time finding it. Thanks.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks for watching!🙂

[@RaySarasin]

incredible info for anyone thanks for sharing. new bee keepers can learn alot from this subscribed

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks. Brice is a wealth of knowledge. Stay tuned for more.

[@lindabanks6134]

Excellent

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you so much 😀

[@sunnytundrabunny704]

I miss beekeeping ❤️🐝

[@alexribalkin6719]

good idea ! thank you Bruce

[@jakel6473]

great video particularly the comb close ups

[@marieturua2492]

Thank you for sharing your ideas, love watching your video, all the amazing tips on the signs, and ways to prevent bee swarms, ive always noticed the signs but never knew🤔 until i watched these.....thanks again for the knowledge and your awesome skills!!

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks Bruce is fantastic.

[@monikadadosky1255]

Very interesting.

[@SaveOurBees]

thanks. 🙂

[@Peter-od7op]

New to beekeeping ty so much

[@SaveOurBees]

great to hear, thanks for the positive feedback. 👍

[@mytube7473]

Clever tips. Thanks

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JOSIANGREENVLOGS]

Very useful information.Expect more such videos.I too a beekeeper in India

[@matthewkoepka1074]

Great job on the video.🙌 you earned my subscription.

[@SaveOurBees]

Awesome, thank you!

[@chriskrause950]

Wow very well presented video thanks 👍

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks Chris. Its great to know u enjoyed the video.

[@stanmashek3085]

very interesting thank you

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad you think so!🙂

[@ernaverheijdt2925]

thank you for sharing your expertise. I'm thinking of getting a new hive to be a beekeeper. very helpful information.

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks Ema. Great to hear. 😊

[@umustbbornagainActs2-38]

Very informative for a newcomer like myself!

[@SaveOurBees]

Ehanks all the best to you and your bees.

[@gmwani7280]

A lot of thanks for ur very good information...

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@davidstephens4763]

Thank you so much, very useful info 👍

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad it was helpful!🙂

[@exvictorian3605]

Thank you

[@SaveOurBees]

You're welcome

[@aytensengul3928]

thank you for the video,very helpful

[@SaveOurBees]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@jodivaniderstine9889]

I found this video extremely informative and helpful. Best I’ve seen on KZbin. I am getting two full hives this May,I am completely new to beekeeping and trying to learn all I can before my bees arrive

[@SaveOurBees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BookieLukie21]

Great video, the first one I found of yours. So much to learn and pay attention to! I'm hoping to have my house and start a hive next spring, 2023. Getting a jump start on learning. From Vermont, USA.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi mate, Thank you for watching and commenting! Good luck on your bee journey.

[@user-hm7lq8ss9l]

Благодаря! Спасибо! Danke sehr! In all languages I speak, I am saying huge THANK YOU! So easy to understand! So perfektly described. Just perfekt! I wish you all the health you need. God bless you!

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks for the great feedback. Bruce is a well known bee keeper in Australia and in some parts of the world. Thank you for watching, God bless you and your bees too.

[@JAIPALCHAUHAN1]

Nice

[@SaveOurBees]

thanks

[@stevemiddleton3301]

Well done for this video and also the other videos in your "Beekeeping for Beginners" Series. Keep up the excellent work.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Steve thanks very much for the feedback. More videos coming soon.

[@litsebetsiame9484]

I loved it, very helpful indeed, keep it up

[@mattreed3630]

Great work Bruce, Save Our Bees & Illawarra Beekeepers! I'm following this to the TEE!! (no queen cells first inspection, second brood inspection this coming Friday, three weeks later)

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Matt thanks for the feedback. I hope your bees are doing well now. Maybe time for a new queen.

[@mattreed3630]

@@SaveOurBees yep our bees are doing great, thanks, nice & calm. Bruce White's swarm prevention methodology is working well too

[@SaveOurBees]

@@mattreed3630 great stuff.

[@robynperdieu3434]

Love the Aussie accent. I was waiting to hear "crikey". Lol

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks, crikey is more like "crocodile speak". 8-)

[@FibreArtsTakeTwo]

Once you have shaken the nurse bees off the brood frames in front of the weak hive, can you place the brood frames into the weak hive?

[@robson1381]

Opa já me escrevi 👍👏👍

[@SaveOurBees]

Thanks

[@michaelobrien4644]

Hi mate just found your video and it's great and very informative thank you cheers .

[@SaveOurBees]

hi Michael. many thanks are u an Aussie "weekend" beekeeper?

[@michaelobrien4644]

@@SaveOurBees Hi mate sort of i had a swarm move into a wardrobe that i set up for garden tools came in for lunch and when i went back outside the swarm was moving in so i thought great i have always wanted a hive so i built a layens hive out of 50mm planks with 14 frames and before the swarm was shifted another swarm turned up and for 2 days the were trying to take over the wardrobe dead bees every were so i called a real beekeeper to show me what to do but he did all the work anyway and put the new swarm into the hive and i only put 7 frames in while he was moving the swarm when he had finished closed the lid and left it at that the problem was both entrances were open and a couple weeks later when i went to open the lid it was glued solid and the bees were only using the entrance with no frames i did manage to pry the lid up and the comb was top to bottom anyway i have got a couple of langsthohf hives and i will talk to him about fixing the layens up and shifting the swarm so sorry this post is so long but it is different cheers

[@pencilcharlie1]

An excellent presentation, well done! Full of useful information and techniques from an experienced beekeeper. Love the text boxes that reinforce the message, and the encouragement to join the local club.

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Calvin. Thanks for the great rap. Bruce is a very knowledgeable beekeeper and arguably the best in the country. This like many of the other videos we have done with Bruce happen off the cuff, no script at all. Bruces' willingness to share his skills is a great asset and we hope to share more content here. Happy beekeeping.

[@pencilcharlie1]

@@SaveOurBees Can you thank Bruce for me please. I am a member of a Ballarat bee club and it was recommended to me, and I will certainly pass on the recommendation.

[@SaveOurBees]

@@pencilcharlie1 Hi Calvin, definately will pass on the comments. Happy beekeeping.

[@rickhermann7639]

I have a bunch of drone cells but had no queen cells. but a friend helping me got several frames of brood from a regular super. I added a brood super with just imprinted wax sheets in the frame. I still plan to split the hive soon. the Temps have been 50s at night and 70s during the day. when the night temps get a little higher

[@rickhermann7639]

great video, thank you

[@titangame1731]

Im a new beekeeper in New Zealand and i have 1 hive building into a 2nd brood box and 1 in a single with queen excluder and honey super on

[@SaveOurBees]

Thats great to hear. It sounds like your bees are doing well.

[@thenewbeejournal]

Thank you for the video Bruce, as a new keeper I appreciate you sharing your expertise, question: if bees recognize their own by pheromones, won't the bees know that the new hundreds of nurse bees dropped at their door belong to a different hive?

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

The 'original' Bees will touch and meet the walking in 'Nurse' Bees, in doing so they will pass their own "Queens Phremones" onto them, and through the bees "given to the hive" to boost their population, they will become one Hive. (Or a Hive over a Hive, in this Video... 👍) (The Nurse Bees soon forget their (own lower box Maj's 👑 phremones...) Nurse Bees practically do everything, so are to busy getting made to do Chores, as they join the Colony... Feed, Wash, Clean, Warm the Brood etc etc. So probably to knackered to think our Queen was.... ??? (!) 🤭 Hope this helps. 😏 Happy Beekeeping 2021. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@d.spencer1195]

Great video!!! What do I do if there are numerous Queen cells that have already been capped??

[@John-ym9ht]

Great video! I'm new to bee keeping and found this very practical and informative. I'm glad I have an experienced bee keeper that is working with me because I'm realizing that this is a complex "hobby" with a huge amount of information to learn and assimilate. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[@SaveOurBees]

So nice of you

[@robynperdieu3434]

I second that. Thank you for explaining.

[@vechotachotso9537]

I understand more clearly than others video, but subtitles pliz...thq sir

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi and thanks for your comments. But there are subtitles already there. Can't you see them?

[@hakizimanaemmanuel5191]

thank you for your video full of information. A curious question, why aren't you stung by bees while you touch without gloves?

[@natandessie]

a doozy Marie board? is that what he said. I cannot find anything like that word online

[@gunesaricilik.9926]

Hi from TURKEY /Samsun

[@SaveOurBees]

Hoşgeldiniz my friend 🙂 Thank you for taking your time to comment.

[@gunesaricilik.9926]

@@SaveOurBees Iwill follow you. Take it easy.

[@MyAlbertC]

Wow, amazing seeing you do this. It's shows how you are a great bee 🐝 keeper. But I have a question, sir, what is wrong with your left hand it looks very different than your right hand. I see this on Frame 3:55. 🤔Please, if possible, explain. Thank you for letting me post a comment.😊😊

[@SaveOurBees]

So nice of you but no, both hands are ok. Maybe it's just the camera lens. But thanks for your concern.

[@rhondapalmieri7454]

Hi, when can you turn the bottom box back in the original direction when doing the Demaree method?

[@ulaB]

That's a lot of information to unpack for a new beekeeper. Very interesting. I am curious why none of the methods showed to remove the swarm cells?

[@SaveOurBees]

So nice of you

[@noahriding5780]

When you see a surge in drones and drone cells... it makes me wonder if the numbers went up a lot if the bees always will make queen cells and large drone numbers together? Can the bees decide, we're only making queen cells, or only making drones but not together?

[@cecigreeneyes]

What’s the difference between nectar and honey? Great video! Thank you

[@sethmawson2220]

nectar is uncapped honey with higher water content, honey is pretty much capped nectar with less water content :)

[@TH-cl5be]

do you use foundation sheets or do you find they like to develop their own combe

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

I think a double screen board or Snelgrove board is interchangeable with a demaree board. If I am wrong please let me know. Thanks.

[@billbyrd9845]

Thank you sir! I've been a beekeeper for about 40 days (yes, days). I've been worried about how to manage my hives as I know nothing. You've helped me tremendously by explaining things the way you do. But... being in Tennessee in the US, it seems so strange to hear you refer to August as spring. Where in the world are you? Never mind. I read your 'about' page: Australia.

[@RCSimRacin]

How did your first year go? Got your girls buttoned up yet? Hello from NC

[@SaveOurBees]

Great to hear you enjoyed the video and maybe learned a little too.

[@neilbush9873]

Special thanks for comment at the end regarding brood disease spread. This week I have seen two American utubists deliberatly leave all thair stickies out for all the bees in the district to feed from . it won't be long before AFB breaks out causing the death of 90% of bees in the district, honey robbing by bees being the main cause of infection. Is this practice not illegal there?

[@hughezzell10000]

I admire you ignoring the multiple sting you're getting on your hands as you work your way through the tutorial.

[@deshawnwint5190]

This video was so informational...thank you so much...I am a teenager and I would like to do bee farming..is it possible to make a video about beginner bee- keepers and how to become one.

[@deshawnwint5190]

Oh never mind I saw a video that you made for beginners..thanks a gain for this wonderful video

[@CanineWild]

Really interesting- I hadn't heard of the demaree method! Can you put another queen excluder on top and stack honey supers on with two colonies like that?

[@SaveOurBees]

Yes you can! Hi and thanks for your question. Bruce has answered your question live in our latest stream video. Look for our March 2021 towards the end of the video for he answer

[@CanineWild]

@@SaveOurBees I will, thank you!

[@badassbees3680]

I almost always find a Supercedure cell in a hive with swarm cells.I Always figured the pheromone was low due to crowding,some people say their still swarm cell,I disagree with that.Whats your thoughts on this? I almost always find one or two when hive has swarm cells

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi and thanks for your quesion. Bruce has answered your question live in our latest stream video. Look for our March 2021

[@lifeunfiltered4822]

The way he says bee

[@stephendawes7016]

How wide should the hive entrance be for central NSW.? How important/what size should landing board be?

[@SaveOurBees]

Hi Stephen. Depending on the time of year, the entrance should be about 80% or so of the brood box width. Enough room so the bees are not queing up to much to get in or out and providing enough ventilation. In cold months, if your hive is not strong reducing the entrance can help prvent cold winds rushing in, and a narrower entrance leaves less work for the bees to guard against intruders. The landing bourd should ideally be as wide as the brood box with maybe 5cm or so deep. i hope that makes sense. Good luck.