Swarminess

[thorn]

Ever since I started beekeeping, and until late last year, my bees have all been descended from the original colony. Every season I have had repeated swarms, which I've put down to my poor beekeeping, and, as a result have suffered weakened colonies and very little honey. Last year, because of their low numbers, I amalgamated my three colonies into one, in a 14x12. And late in the season I bought a new colony.
This year, the original bunch started out as a very strong unit. I demarreed them, though possibly too late. Then the swarming started yet again. They don't fill the large brood box, so they're filling the space with stores. They've not gone up into the super.
The new colony hasn't swarmed. I did an artificial swarm, and both hives are now full of bees and have several supers on. This suggests to me that the problems with the original colony have as much to do with their swarmy nature as with my ineptitude.
So, what do I do with the original lot? Do I hope that the latest queen has mated with some from the new colony and that their genes will prevail? Or do I requeen (ever since she saw Martha Kearney's series my wife has taken to referring to "our" bees, and the word "Buckfast" keeps falling from her
lips)?

 

[itma]

I don't think there's any dispute but that predisposition to 'premature' swarming is a genetic trait.

However, swarms being essentially free, they are an excellent way of building up your bee-power. And, if you are at the 'catch and release' stage of beekeeping learning, its cheaper to lose 'free' bees …
Problem is that any swarm is likely (but not 100% definitely) from 'swarmy' stock.

Requeening with a 'better' Q, and avoiding polluting your gene pool with drones from 'swarmy' colonies, should produce a better beekeeping experience.
While working with limited resources, it is very hard to "breed your way out". Nevertheless, you have a couple of decent hives now, so why not raise a couple of Qs from those for the other colonies? (And do a bit of drone brood culling in the dodgy colonies …)

 

[enrico]

I had two swarms that I hived last year for unknown source. Both have swarmed three times this year for very little return. My own colonies, well they WERE ok but doubtless I have more swarming genes in the pool now!
E

 

[Swarm]

I had two swarms that I hived last year for unknown source. Both have swarmed three times this year for very little return. My own colonies, well they WERE ok but doubtless I have more swarming genes in the pool now!
E

Unless your hives are isolated, you have little influence and you also have to consider nearby beeks, etc, etc.

 

[REDWOOD]

I picked up a swarm that swarmed three times in one year, they did settle down after that as probably the drones from my Buckfast colony mated with them, as it happened they turned out to be my best honey producing colony.

 

[Russel]

I picked up a swarm that swarmed three times in one year, they did settle down after that as probably the drones from my Buckfast colony mated with them, as it happened they turned out to be my best honey producing colony.

A small group of us bought 6 Buckfast queens this year, not from Pete & I didn't do the buying, and they've all swarmed and it seems we're about to buy some more. Yes we're pants beekeepers.

 

[Arfermo]

Seems to be a very swarmy year this year regardless of genetics. I've caught 3 in my garden this year when I have never seen any arrivals from elsewhere for at least 6 years. One swarm caught in early May lost the Q for no apparent reason even though I had marked and clipped it as soon as eggs were seen and then swarmed when building up was going nicely despite no evidence of having a successor in situ. Test frame seems to be settling things down but I now have more colonies that I want with nobody seemingly wanting to buy a cheap good active nuc that needs hiving (no spare boxes left) and a complete hive c/w stand and all the bits at very reasonable prices compared with sale prices around me that I have seen. Crazy year imho.