Mating flight?

[Hebeegeebee]

I can't open the video. However I have seen a couple of mating swarms, so would definitely say they are "a thing."
The clue is that there was a known virgin in the hive and a few days after the swarm, there are eggs as well as a plumped up queen.
My guess is that the bees push the queen out and in the process cause 'buzzing runs' as they do with a proper swarm so they all pop out. Then pop back in again.

 

[Finman]

Isn't that odd - I have had absolutely loads of colonies swarm on me over the years but have never once witnessed a swarm leaving a hive.

How much you have those mating virgins during one summer?

 

[Sutty]

I think what I saw must have been an aborted swarm where the queen didn't go or had some fault & couldn't fly.
They swarmed again today (as above), I collected them and they are doing orientation and some foraging flights.
I've inspected the hive they issued from this afternoon. 4 sealed EQCs and one emerged virgin seen. 2 emerged QCs. VQ marked and EQCs destroyed.
The previous swarm was on the 10th and I inspected on 16th taking down all EQCs leaving the one I saw immediately after the swarm.
I think my mistake was that my inspection was only 6 days after swarm so at that point there would still have been 3 day old larvae available, and they then made more QCs
I should have inspected later before assuming they couldn't make extra QCs.
Ah well, IF they can both still get mated (still drones around here), I'll dequeen another hive and unite before winter.

 

[Finman]

I think what I saw must have been an aborted swarm where the queen didn't go or had some fault & couldn't fly.
They swarmed again today (as above), I collected them and they are doing orientation and some foraging flights.
I've inspected the hive they issued from this afternoon. 4 sealed EQCs and one emerged virgin seen. 2 emerged QCs. VQ marked and EQCs destroyed.
The previous swarm was on the 10th and I inspected on 16th taking down all EQCs leaving the one I saw immediately after the swarm.
I think my mistake was that my inspection was only 6 days after swarm so at that point there would still have been 3 day old larvae available, and they then made more QCs
I should have inspected later before assuming they couldn't make extra QCs.
Ah well, IF they can both still get mated (still drones around here), I'll dequeen another hive and unite before winter.

This is second swarm. 8First swarm leaves with old queen about when first queen cells are capped, the cast leaves when the first virgin has emerged.

Or was it a third swarm?
..

 

[Sutty]

This is second swarm. 8First swarm leaves with old queen about when first queen cells are capped, the cast leaves when the first virgin has emerged.

Or was it a third swarm?
..

First was on the 10th with a marked queen who is now happily laying for me in another hive.
2nd was aborted yesterday for some reason, then 3rd today.
My fault for not thinking enough about the dates and timing!