When will swarming end in this crazy season?

[RogerIvy]

A question for the boffins.... when will swarming end this year?
It's been a crazy year, seems like we're 4-5 weeks behind "normal" schedule. I'm wondering how long I diligently sprinkle lemongrass on my bait boxes.

 

[lindsay s]

Up here I’m just getting ready to make splits and to manage swarm control. Everything is late here too but in a normal season our swarming only starts in early June and runs till about mid July. My first Queen cells are just starting to appear now.

 

[Ian123]

Up here I’m just getting ready to make splits and to manage swarm control. Everything is late here too but in a normal season our swarming only starts in early June and runs till about mid July. My first Queen cells are just starting to appear now.

Seasons and bees vary in the sunny south you can expect to see swarm preps in good years from beginning of April, some have even swarmed in March. Recently an esteemed beekeeper on this forum suggested a swarming deadline for May, this season there have been few with many hives simply in survival mode expelling drones. I expect to see some swarming until the end of the main flow and for me that’s mid/late July and the end of the chestnut flowering. It tapers of to the end of that period. There are the odd reports of later ones but it’s a guide and some very late could be supercedure gone wrong. Ian

 

[steve1958]

I should leave those bait hives out.
Swarms can happen throughout the season.

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon
But a swarm in July is not worth a fly

(Mid 17th century beekeeping saying).

 

[Frizzaldo]

caught a late swarm on 19th July last year, it’s filling double brood boxes this year

 

[ericbeaumont]

Swarm out in January at Alexandra Palace in North London two years ago, few more in February and March that year in Woodford, just outsjde the North Circular.

Swarming impulse recedes on the main flow, and that usually coincides with the June solstice when day length shortens.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ah, but I thought the OP was talking about the real world - outside the M25 matrix

 

[IndiBee]

Ah, but I thought the OP was talking about the real world - outside the M25 matrix

Don't believe him - there is nothing to see outside the M25 - you lot stay inside it and we will all be happy

 

[Erichalfbee]

Don't believe him - there is nothing to see outside the M25 - you lot stay inside it and we will all be happy

I’m sure the reverse pertains too.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

A question for the boffins.... when will swarming end this year?
It's been a crazy year, seems like we're 4-5 weeks behind "normal" schedule. I'm wondering how long I diligently sprinkle lemongrass on my bait boxes.

Every season seems to be crazy for some reason. Just go with the flow and do the very best you can.

 

[North End Bees]

caught a late swarm on 19th July last year, it’s filling double brood boxes this year

But how much of a crop did you get last year, which is what the saying refers to??

 

[Boston Bees]

But how much of a crop did you get last year, which is what the saying refers to??

The saying was from the era prior to £250 overwintered nucs. So is basically completely irrelevant now, and should be banned from beekeeping conversations except those between elderly BKA committee members.

Bit like "bees in a wood, no good"

 

[North End Bees]

The saying was from the era prior to £250 overwintered nucs.

Yes, as it comes from a time when beekeepers destroyed their colonies at the end of the season and collected the honey/wax, next season was irrelevant to them.

 

[Frizzaldo]

But how much of a crop did you get last year, which is what the saying refers to??

none but one super almost full this year so definitely worth leaving the bait hives out later in the summer

 

[gmonag]

Yes, as it comes from a time when beekeepers destroyed their colonies at the end of the season and collected the honey/wax, next season was irrelevant to them.

Not strictly true. It comes from a time when everyone used skeps. The production colonies were destroyed to harvest the honey but many were over-wintered and they relied on swarming to build up stocks in spring; hence the saying.

 

[Finman]

When your all hives have swarmed.

 

[North End Bees]

The production colonies were destroyed to harvest the honey but many were over-wintered and they relied on swarming to build up stocks in spring; hence the saying.

Well without modern equipment/practices the late swarms presumably didn't overwinter well; hence the saying..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well without modern equipment/practices the late swarms presumably didn't overwinter well; hence the saying..

no, it was more of a case of a May swarm would give you a good crop the same year, June middling and a July one needed overwintering for a crop the following season.
Not all colonies were killed off for the honey - some used to 'drum' the bees out into a new skep.
It's interesting watching the 1970's German Heathland Beekeeping videos on yootoob to see how they used to move the bees into new hives - only the brood was subjected to the sulphur treatment.

 

[IndiBee]

Every season seems to be crazy for some reason. Just go with the flow and do the very best you can.

We have caught far more swarms this year in a very short space of time than I can ever remember before. Reports from 'l'ancien rucher' in France suggests a similar month.
I am going to be spending a lot of time this coming winter building hives for them all. So the Welsh bee breeding plan may end up coming a year earlier.

 

[RogerIvy]

We had this happen to our barn yesterday. It happens every year and we thought the plastic may dissuade them this year.