swarming distances

[RoseCottage]

Linn and I were just discussing swarming (not ourselves you understand). Linn suggested that bees could travel 5 miles in a swarm and I thought a lot less - that there must be a lot of potential homes before 5 miles is reached.

What our discussion revealed us that neither of us really know the answer so we thought that we should ask all of you...

How far is 'usual' for swarm travel?

Thanks,
Sam and Linn

 

[merylvingien]

I dont rekon they go too far.
Of the swarms ive caught in the past, most are pretty close to existing hives. Most no more than 5 - 8 hundred yards away.

 

[Silly Bee]

Had a swarm on my alottment, I don't know of any other keepers in the area.

 

[oliver90owner]

90% less than a km (or a mile, can't remember which), I believe. Was on a thread probably earlier this year (bait hives?) but I extracted the data from the net.

Regards, RAB

 

[merylvingien]

Had a swarm on my alottment, I don't know of any other keepers in the area.

What about wild colonies?

 

[Silly Bee]

Maybe.

 

[oliver90owner]

this link 90% within a km

http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19910230443.html;jsessionid=F49A915B68D5997F31538006CE43D973

 

[RoseCottage]

All,
That was a very fast and great response. Thank you all.

Rab, just reading the precis in the link was interesting so thanks for that.

Mrs J has now settled for the night comfortable in the knowledge that she will probably never have to chase the girls too far should it come to that

All the best,
Sam

 

[Dishmop]

I picture people driving around following their bees like the support crews following hot air balloons.........

I have read different versions about swarming....

They swarm from the hive and find somewhere nearby to hang out and then scouts go out and look for a new home..........

They decide they are going to leave and scouts go out house hunting for a new home before they swarm from the hive......

although the fact that they cluster in a tree or similar suggests that the former is more accurate....

 

[Heather]

All I know is I set up bait hives-Nuc box ,old manky comb, lemongrass, small entrances- and they ignore and go into a tree nearby-.
Maybe mine too near the hives- 40' away about 10' from the ground.
So ungrateful!!

 

[Mike a]

All I know is I set up bait hives-Nuc box ,old manky comb, lemongrass, small entrances- and they ignore and go into a tree nearby-. Maybe mine too near the hives- 40' away about 10' from the ground. So ungrateful!!

haha.. Some you win, some you lose..

There must be a huge amount of luck in it as well. If the wind is blowing in the wrong direction they may never find the scent from your bait hives even if they are the perfect size, height off the ground or any other factor thought to be ideal.

 

[mbc]

How far is 'usual' for swarm travel?

How far is a piece of string ?
Bees respond to environmental pressure when swarming i.e. if its a good area with a low population density they're unlikely to go far, whereas if its a poor area with a high population density then they can go miles and miles.
I've heard that where a swarm settles initially is largely down to how far the queen wants to fly, but where they go from there is down to the scouts and their consensus decision after exploring surrounding cavities. Personally, the furthest I've known a swarm to travel was a few hundred yards before settling into a swarm on a bough, then some where between 4 and 5 miles before setting up in some abandoned equipment - ignoring 2 bait hives of mine on their way ! These bait hives were set up hastily when I got wind of the big old colony in a tree swarming. The swarm issued, flew past one bait hive and settled not far down the valley, stayed for half a day high up in a tree (enough time for me to set up more surrounding bait hives) then flew past my efforts with me in hot pursuit, swearing and sweating fighting through brambles and hedges before I finally caught up where theyd gone into a dilapidated old box sitting on a bank. I collected the bees later and hived them in a shiny new hive of mine. For me this was conclusive evidence that they'd scouted where they were going to go long before issuing. Needless to say, the colony was next to useless and never did much for me.

 

[Dishmop]

Bees from obs hive just decided to have a demonstration and went and clustered in my cherry tree.


After they discovered that the queen is not with them, they are all now trying to get back in...