Apparent swarming

[oliver90owner]

This apparent swarming and returning to hive of the bees. I am not used to these goings on.

I am wondering if these colonies, or even some of them, are related in some way? All from one queen supplier or source of queens? Or is it just stupid bees that cannot make up their minds, don't know how to swarm properly, or what?

Of course, it may have happened to my bees in the last ten years, but if it did, I missed it!! Just seems a lot of it going on this year. When mine have gone they have just done it 'properly'.

Over to those who are experiencing this......

Regards, RAB

 

[SixFooter]

I reported this, but in my case, it looks as though the bees did in fact swarm. I opened up today and no eggs, only larva ~4 or 5 days old and several sealed Q cells. The new queens were actually emerging, so I helped them a little and put them in mini nucs with some bees.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

The swarm I lost this morning (at their second attempt) was from a swarm I collected last year. I think they were probably related to Milkermel's swarm.

But they were good Cornish stock without, so far as I know any scouse relatives. So unless Sixfooter came down this way for his bees, the 'related' possibility seems a bit tenuous.

 

[darrenperrett]

Could it be that there are a lot more clipped Q`s around this year Rab ?

Darren.

 

[oliver90owner]

Darren,

I am aware that the bees will return to the hive if the queen is not there (in the grass beside the hive scenario for a clipped queen), but it appears that a lot of beeks are experiencing this phenomenon with otherwise natural swarms, with unclipped queens, without a swarm catching device, or a queen excluder below the brood box. I was really wondering if they were imported from one source, either directly or say less than a couple of generations ago.....

Regards, RAB