Can too much honey make them swarm?

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

I've been told by another beekeeper that my bees could still swarm at this time of year if I don't harvest the honey (I'm a lazy beekeeper). Is that true? I thought swarming occurred mostly during certain times of the year, and I did not know that swarming is related to the amount of stores that they have. Any advice about this?

Thanks
Samuel

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[Greggorio]

I thought it was due to lack of space or overcrowding. So surely not collecting honey and them running out of space could cause a swarm. That's a guess by the way as I have no real idea

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[Vortex]

Lack of space .. for what ever reason is one factor that can cause them to swarm.
That said I have a nuber of hives atm that have honey supers on, in various states of fill, and brood boxes and supers that are stuffed with incoming honey, but there is no indication that my bees are looking to swarm, even by the 2 hives that haven't swarmed this year, and one of those has 4 supers on, 3 of which are full.
I also generally don't take the honey off until late August, and to date have not had a colony swarm because of it..

 

[YorkshireBees]

As per the others answers, lack of space is one factor for causing swarms.

If you give them enough space, both in the brood box(es) and super(s) then you don't necessarily have to remove full supers.

It depends on how much they gather and whether you want really tall hives!

Personally there is a limit that I don't want to reach above!

 

[drex]

If the only space the queen has to lay in is full of honey, she will have no room to lay. More likely to swarm then. At this time of year, that means I want as much honey as I can get in the supers (above QX) , rather than in the brood box.

 

[Robbo8916]

As per the others answers, lack of space is one factor for causing swarms.

If you give them enough space, both in the brood box(es) and super(s) then you don't necessarily have to remove full supers.

It depends on how much they gather and whether you want really tall hives!

Personally there is a limit that I don't want to reach above!

Show off

I learn something new everyday on here

 

[YorkshireBees]

Show off

I learn something new everyday on here

That was last year (which in my short beekeeping experience was an exceptional year).

 

[Stevie Day]

As per the others answers, lack of space is one factor for causing swarms.

If you give them enough space, both in the brood box(es) and super(s) then you don't necessarily have to remove full supers.

It depends on how much they gather and whether you want really tall hives!

Personally there is a limit that I don't want to reach above!

Very impressive, hope you've got a step ladder or very long arms

 

[BeeJayBee]

I've been told by another beekeeper that my bees could still swarm at this time of year if I don't harvest the honey (I'm a lazy beekeeper). Is that true? I thought swarming occurred mostly during certain times of the year, and I did not know that swarming is related to the amount of stores that they have. Any advice about this?

They can swarm at almost any time of year, if they believe conditions are right. Being 'honey bound' (no place for the queen to lay) can be one reason for swarming.

They can also abscond - abandon their nest and look for a new one.

 

[Finman]

.
In practice every hive swarms if you do not extract honey.
Bees need first of all store room for nectar. IT fills brood cells.
IT should be one box for capped honey plus two for nectar, where bees dry up the nectar.

One of the dangerous place are rape fields. If there is one box hive, it will be filled in few days and swarm goes without warning. A beginner can not foresee, what will happen. Then hive has 10 kg honey and Queen and bees have gone.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Very impressive, hope you've got a step ladder or very long arms

No ladder but a rock next to the tallest hive that I could stand on to put on / remove the top super!!!