Mating Nucs swarming

[BeekeeperDan]

Anyone else noticing their bees are really keen to go forth and multiply this year?
I've been using 6 frame poly nucs to raise new queens with one frame of brood and attending bees, one frame of food, the frame with brood and queencells on and empty foundation and practically every one this year which had multiple queen cells in it has swarmed and some have, at least looking at the way the queencells appear hatched, produced multiple tiny swarms and then been left queenless. Not seen this before. Wondering if there is some kind of epigenetic switch that tells them to do this because last year was terrible in Norfolk and they had less opportunity to swarm then.

 

[Wilco]

Dunno, I think it's just been a really good spring after a mild winter.

Yesterday I had a 14*12 hive with a queen that's only been mated a couple of weeks, on four frames of brood and they're making swarm preps. I also had a three frame nuc (half a BS where the queen had only been laying for about 10 days and they were making preps. Funny year.

 

[drex]

Once they have shown their intention to swarm, leave multiple queen cells at your peril. In my experience it does not matter how much room or foundation you give, they will be off nonetheless.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Once they have shown their intention to swarm, leave multiple queen cells at your peril. In my experience it does not matter how much room or foundation you give, they will be off nonetheless.

Yes. It shows that swarming is not an overnight decision. Plans are put in place weeks in advance

 

[jeff33]

Agreed with Drex and Dani, especially if you have made the split as a reactive measure when they were already on a mission to swarm.

 

[madasafish]

Yes. It shows that swarming is not an overnight decision. Plans are put in place weeks in advance

Three weeks before QCs I understand from research

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think we need to go back and read the OP again - this isn't swarm prevention it's putting frames with QCs on into nucs for mating - as per making increase using Demarree or similar.
In that scenario, I almost always leave multiple QCs if I can't decide which one to keep.

 

[Wingy]

They have been going swarm mad this season. All my 21 hives have had a go already and 1 has tried twice.
Double brood National threw up swarm cells. Did A/S - Q & flying bees into new hive with all drawn comb, QX & super above. 3 weeks later BIAS across 6 frames and more swarm cells

 

[Erichalfbee]

Foundation would have slowed them down

 

[BeekeeperDan]

Thanks everyone - some of the nucs were chancing it, where I'd found swarm cells during inspections and some were taken from my Snelgrove splits after the swarming intention had been quelled by splitting the flying bees and queen from the nurse bees and letting the nurse bees raise new queen cells. I'm not surprised that one or two would hatch and fly off with a few bees but for six or seven in a tiny nuc to go is unusual in my experience. Reassured that y'all are experiencing a swarmy year elsewhere.

 

[Newbeeneil]

It’s interesting the comment about multiple small swarms. All my swarms this year have been small, only covering 2-3 frames even prime swarms.

 

[maddydog]

Thanks everyone - some of the nucs were chancing it, where I'd found swarm cells during inspections and some were taken from my Snelgrove splits after the swarming intention had been quelled by splitting the flying bees and queen from the nurse bees and letting the nurse bees raise new queen cells. I'm not surprised that one or two would hatch and fly off with a few bees but for six or seven in a tiny nuc to go is unusual in my experience. Reassured that y'all are experiencing a swarmy year elsewhere.

Out of interest how far did you move the created nucs away from the donor hives? Also, how old are the queen (s) that provided the qcs?