Likelihood of swarming

[elainemary]

Hi i read a thread earlier, which mentioned a concern regarding the risk of swarming with the 3 days of hot sunny weather we’re now having. Got me worried! Drones have largely been ejected. Several hives have lots of brood still and as I’ve been feeding and under supered lots of stores.
Is this a real risk in your experience? I inspected all my hives on Wednesday last week and all was well otherwise. Based in Yorkshire. The latest I’ve had a swarm in my 4 seasons of beekeeping is early August.
Appreciate your feedback
Elaine

 

[Finman]

Only way is to open the hive and look, does it have qeen cells. But you just did it.

Warm days do not start swarming. When a swarm comes out, its swarming fever has started 2 weeks ealier. Autumn swarms are rare.

 

[beeno]

If they have loads of stores and brood - I have just started feeding mine - there is nice weather and an ivy flow, who can blame them for getting the wrong idea. My latest swarm was 3rd Sept. one year and she did not get mated. Autumns are warmer than springs!

 

[Finman]

If you have so mad bees,that they swarm before winter, it is then better let them go with their genes. It is not meant in bees biology. Bee breeding must cast away such specials.

I do not Accept, if my hive swarms in May. I do not accept it. Our willows start to bloom at the beginning of May.

 

[beeno]

It is not mad bees it is mad climate. We are having 28, 29, 23°C during the day for the next three days and then back into 20° during the day and 15-13 to 11°C during the night. If you then have fed them heavily together with Ivy flow they may be forgiven for being confused. Check our weather forecasts.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Warm autumn's are becoming the norm and I to have feed colonys through the autumn flow.
Same as last year and previous I've still not had bees swarm.
As finman has said in another thread bees prepare to swarm 2 weeks before they do.
Should we be adding this date first then say when they swarmed??
20th of August preps
3rd of September swarmed.


The latest I've had a swarm leave a hive was on the 24 of July.

I know beeno is in a different location but I would be thinking about requeening.
@beeno how old was the Queen?

 

[beeno]

Warm autumn's are becoming the norm and I to have feed colonys through the autumn flow.
Same as last year and previous I've still not had bees swarm.
As finman has said in another thread bees prepare to swarm 2 weeks before they do.
Should we be adding this date first then say when they swarmed??
20th of August preps
3rd of September swarmed.


The latest I've had a swarm leave a hive was on the 24 of July.

I know beeno is in a different location but I would be thinking about requeening.
@beeno how old was the Queen?

It was a prime swarm in 2011!

 

[Curly green finger's]

It was a prime swarm in 2011!

Genetics have long gone then

 

[Finman]

It was a prime swarm in 2011!

No swarms in 10 years!

 

[beeno]

No swarms in 10 years!

No Finman you are not following the thread!

 

[AubMar]

Last Wed (9th Sep) at 1pm I was standing looking at the fronts of 5 hives in my Apiary and there were lots of bees foraging from each, all normal stuff until I realised the buzz getting louder and more intense, a swarm never crossed my mind, all very well behaved black bees and all fed the evening before, anyway out they came!
The result was quite a decent swarm emerged and eventually clustered on top of some evergreens just out of reach. I put out five bait hives and some got scout attention but ultimately they traveled elsewhere. The only good thing is the weather is still very warm and I still see plenty of drones around so all maybe all is not lost - Just more strange happenings in this crazy 2020.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Hi i read a thread earlier, which mentioned a concern regarding the risk of swarming with the 3 days of hot sunny weather we’re now having. Got me worried! Drones have largely been ejected. Several hives have lots of brood still and as I’ve been feeding and under supered lots of stores.
Is this a real risk in your experience? I inspected all my hives on Wednesday last week and all was well otherwise. Based in Yorkshire. The latest I’ve had a swarm in my 4 seasons of beekeeping is early August.
Appreciate your feedback
Elaine

Perhaps the bees will be so busy moving the nadired stores about, they won’t get the urge to swarm. Even if they did (get the urge) then the weather, which will revert to Autumn in a few days, should prevent them completing the process. Perhaps swarm cells may get started, then get torn down?
Just supposition on my part, I could be way off track.
I think the general feeling from most is that bees were preparing for Winter earlier than usual this year, so the risk of swarming should be very low.

 

[Finman]

No Finman you are not following the thread!

Propably not.... Something to learn from it?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Warm autumn's are becoming the norm and I to have feed colonys through the autumn flow.
Same as last year and previous I've still not had bees swarm.
As finman has said in another thread bees prepare to swarm 2 weeks before they do.
Should we be adding this date first then say when they swarmed??
20th of August preps
3rd of September swarmed.


The latest I've had a swarm leave a hive was on the 24 of July.

I know beeno is in a different location but I would be thinking about requeening.
@beeno how old was the Queen?

Becoming the norm? We had warm and sunny harvest times long after school summer holidays ended when I was a child. Farmers children were often given dispensation to stay home to help.

 

[Apiarisnt]

Lots of scout bees in and out of my bait hive this morning. My prevarication in taking it down may turn out to be productive.

 

[tonyofarr]

I met a beekeeper the other day that collected 2 swarms the other day and they had blue marked queens; they were both collected in the same area.

 

[beeno]

Warm autumn's are becoming the norm and I to have feed colonys through the autumn flow.
Same as last year and previous I've still not had bees swarm.
As finman has said in another thread bees prepare to swarm 2 weeks before they do.
Should we be adding this date first then say when they swarmed??
20th of August preps
3rd of September swarmed.


The latest I've had a swarm leave a hive was on the 24 of July.

I know beeno is in a different location but I would be thinking about requeening.
@beeno how old was the Queen?

You may have missed my post that this was in 2011. With hindsight I realise that this occurred due to the fact that it was my first year in beekeeping and I was going for combs! I was concerned at the time that my one and only colony would swarm, but all the experienced beeks advised me that bees don't swarm this time of the year! Even Thornes after I had told a member of staff that they just had. I picked up a swarm in October one year too - not mine. So, be aware bees under certain circumstances will swarm late in the season. Well, I am inspecting my bees this afternoon to see if the queens are still laying after treatment and I will inspect for QC as well.

 

[Finman]

Lots of scout bees in and out of my bait hive this morning. My prevarication in taking it down may turn out to be productive.

They look something to rob

 

[Helen]

Just picked up a rather small swarm from someone's garden.

Along with a large green-marked queen that looked very much like a buckfast - light tan. The bees with her were also light coloured, gentle in nature (so far). Similar to my buckfasts.

21 Sep is the latest I've been called out for a swarm.

 

[beeno]

Just picked up a rather small swarm from someone's garden.

Along with a large green-marked queen that looked very much like a buckfast - light tan. The bees with her were also light coloured, gentle in nature (so far). Similar to my buckfasts.

21 Sep is the latest I've been called out for a swarm.

Nice of you to oblige so late in the season. Many wouldn't!