Early swarming

[italic63]

Good morning All,
I inspected my hive early February and was surprised to see it bursting with bees! I'm planning to spilt this hive as soon possible to avoid swarming for the third year in a row.
It's too cold to do a full inspection for queen cells yet and so I'd like to wait until at least end of this month.
Is it possible that they will swarm so early in the season?
Thanks and good weekend too all

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have you got drones flying?

 

[fian]

You must answer as far as possible two questions that predict swarm proximity.
1.Are there drones or drone cells?
2. How many frames when you say "full of bees"?
If you are bringing in pollen I would consider placing a super with stretched frames between the entrance and the nest. It is probable that some space will now forward the momentum to the ordinary dates.
Very early swarms are rare (I only remember 1 in more than 10 years of beekeeping) but it indicates two parameters to qualify this queen as good (prolific and genetic). You should not lose sight of it, so sending it to a hub in a month or a month and a half should be in one of your management options.

 

[Poly Hive]

The only way to give a real indicator of strength is how many frames of brood are there? I just realised you may well have drones given your location a thousand miles or so South of me. The only way to tell is to look and using a doubler brood box may well help as well.

PH

 

[Antipodes]

Good morning All,
I inspected my hive early February and was surprised to see it bursting with bees! I'm planning to spilt this hive as soon possible to avoid swarming for the third year in a row.
It's too cold to do a full inspection for queen cells yet and so I'd like to wait until at least end of this month.
Is it possible that they will swarm so early in the season?
Thanks and good weekend too all

How early did they swarm in the past two seasons?

 

[ericbeaumont]

surprised to see it bursting with bees

How many boxes?

using a double brood box may well help

This is good advice: plenty of brood space can avert swarming.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If it's still too cold to inspect properly, I'm assuming they are just coming out of overwintering. A quick glimpse at seasonal weather for Turin tells me that you have weather much like we have here. I won't be opening up my hives at all, let alone inspecting for quite a while yet. What you will get in the next month is the mass die off of the winter bees as they reach the end of their useful lives and 'burn out' rearing the first of the spring brood so you are going to get a dip in population before they once again build up new bees fit for swarming

 

[fian]

If it's still too cold to inspect properly, I'm assuming they are just coming out of overwintering. A quick glimpse at seasonal weather for Turin tells me that you have weather much like we have here. I won't be opening up my hives at all, let alone inspecting for quite a while yet. What you will get in the next month is the mass die off of the winter bees as they reach the end of their useful lives and 'burn out' rearing the first of the spring brood so you are going to get a dip in population before they once again build up new bees fit for swarming

https://en.weatherspark.com/compare...-of-the-average-weather-in-Turín-y-CarmarthenYou can verify that the conditions are not the best themselves, the graph of the cultivation period and the degree days is very revealing, (parameters related to the beginning of flowering). Under very favorable conditions that hive in Turin would be at the level of a Welsh hive at the beginning of April. The early swarm precedent (the previous two years) indicates that not doing alone leads to the same result.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Weather in February​

February, the last month of the winter in Turin, is also a frosty month, with an average temperature ranging between min -0.7°C (30.7°F) and max 9.1°C (48.4°F).

Temperature​

In Turin, the average high-temperature in February is practically the same as in January - a still frosty 9.1°C (48.4°F). In Turin, Italy, the average low-temperature is -0.7°C (30.7°F).

 

[fian]

Weather in February​

February, the last month of the winter in Turin, is also a frosty month, with an average temperature ranging between min -0.7°C (30.7°F) and max 9.1°C (48.4°F).

Temperature​

In Turin, the average high-temperature in February is practically the same as in January - a still frosty 9.1°C (48.4°F). In Turin, Italy, the average low-temperature is -0.7°C (30.7°F).

And yet, the average is not the appropriate reference for a hive with unusual behavior.
No one talks about opening it but about knowing how many squares there are or if you see drones (lifting the crown board would be enough); If it is affirmative and with the entry of pollen plus space below, it can solve the problem until mid-March, when it could open without a problem.
forecast 14 days
https://www.tiempo.com/turin.htmI would go on Saturday the 25th, a cloudy day with a high minimum and no frost.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And yet, the average is not the appropriate reference for a hive with unusual behavior.

but there is no 'unusual behaviour' just the OP's assumption that the hive is overfull when, by what I can fathom, everything looks normal.
I had a beekeeper just a few miles from me posted an almost identical question elsewhere a few days ago. To advise them to open up and inspect would have been foolhardy in the extreme.

 

[italic63]

How early did they swarm in the past two seasons?

Both times it was the first week of May

 

[RichardK]

Good morning All,
I inspected my hive early February and was surprised to see it bursting with bees! I'm planning to spilt this hive as soon possible to avoid swarming for the third year in a row.
It's too cold to do a full inspection for queen cells yet and so I'd like to wait until at least end of this month.
Is it possible that they will swarm so early in the season?
Thanks and good weekend too all

I'm just a beginner, however, my climate is perhaps closer to yours than many in the UK (near Perpignan in France). Last year we had a very mild Jan to Feb period & I did indeed have a colony swarm early March which shocked me (.. it then snowed April 3rd...). Swarms here are generally April & May time. That said last year I also had a colony on 5 frames of brood (Dadant like you) on 18th Feb, this year they're on just 3 which implies things are a little slower this year. I'd say that this year blossom is a good 2 weeks behind last year so that makes sense.

If it's too cold to inspect then I can't imagine they will be anywhere near swarming, however, as people have said it does depend on whether you have drones about. I took an early first glance inside my hives yesterday & they are definitely building up, but no sign of drone brood as yet. I would have thought you're safe to leave it until the beginning of March - I'd also have thought you have the occasional daytime temperature that is more than warm enough to take a quick peek too. Here it's currently 22.1°C in the shade - you're similar perhaps? That said, be careful as if you squish the queen at this time of year the colony would be pretty much doomed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Both times it was the first week of May

about in parallel with what we would expect here

 

[Erichalfbee]

For me if the dandelions are out properly I have to keep a close eye out for queen cells so May is about right.

 

[RichardK]

For me if the dandelions are out properly I have to keep a close eye out for queen cells so May is about right.

That's an interesting one. From my notes I see I had a field of dandelions in flower near my hives on 21st March last year. I'll have to keep an eye out come then.

 

[Antipodes]

Both times it was the first week of May

I'd be very surprised if April swarming didn't happen in Turin. At least some. We can get swarming here any time in September, although unusual, but by October (April there) it gets more likely. Your climate average for April is similar to ours for October. What I've witnessed here is those strong colonies can go on those days on or nearing 20 degrees.
How early can you buy mated queens there?

 

[RichardK]

I'd be very surprised if April swarming didn't happen in Turin. At least some. We can get swarming here anytime in September, although unusual, but by October (April there) it gets more likely. Your climate average for April is similar to ours for October. What I've witnessed here is those strong colonies can go on those days on or nearing 20 degrees.
How early can you buy mated queens there?

Well I can get mated queens originating from Italy, available in France from mid-April......

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's an interesting one. From my notes I see I had a field of dandelions in flower near my hives on 21st March last year. I'll have to keep an eye out come then.

My first two swarm splits were on May 4th last year.
Our first swarm into the bait hive was May 8th but the year before it was three weeks earlier