Bees reluctant to swarm this year?

[Winker]

I have 20 hives this year and of this point in time only 6 of them have attempted to swarm this year.

There has been a constant nectar flow this year, starting with the winter OSR, Beans, Lime now onto the Brambles. With no break in-between, has this been stopped the bees from Swarming?

 

[user 6228]

I have heard that in Wilts and Devon there has been a dearth of swarming...
I cant say about hampshire as I dont have much contact after the season starts, but ALL of our original hives exhibited normal swarming tendencies. A reasonable but not excessive number of swarm cells ~7.
The splits when left with 2 queen cells would tend then swarm hence the 11 colonies from 3.

 

[Pete D]

Maybe its your queens, I have 2 that have not tried to swarm out of 17 that over wintered.

 

[For want of a better word]

I have heard that in Wilts and Devon there has been a dearth of swarming.

Here too in East Cornwall... only had six into the silver ley bait hives.. and all of those were Buckfart derivatives!

Have not seen any swarm cells in the NZ Ligurians... and the AMMs have mostly superceeded... all in different apiaries I hasten to add!

 

[madasafish]

Only 1 hive swarmed out of 7 this year..but it did it twice..(carnies)
2 out of 8 last year.

 

[enrico]

Just lost one today..... Bugger!
I was away and they did initial swarm into tree, one hour later gone over hills and far away, according to mrs enrico anyway!

 

[BILL.HEARD]

I have 20 hives this year and of this point in time only 6 of them have attempted to swarm this year.

There has been a constant nectar flow this year, starting with the winter OSR, Beans, Lime now onto the Brambles. With no break in-between, has this been stopped the bees from Swarming?

A good honey flow will usually see the end of most swarming, down here in this part of Devon we have had no swarms for several weeks now.

 

[Stiffy]

None of my Buckfast have swarmed this year but have had 5 swarms of horrid black Cornish 'Dreckly' bees take up residence in bait hives. All have been taken to an isolation apiary as there have been reports of AFB with 15miles of me. I will re-queen them all with my Buckfast over the next few weeks.
S

 

[Hebeegeebee]

The late season held bees back so by the time they thought of swarming, it was too late !