Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
If you can meet the ideal, then do, because it hurries up the process of the swarm
becoming a productive hive. If you can't, don't worry: do what you can and give yourself
time to sort it all out later.
Putting the swarm back into the original hive
One final way of dealing with a swarm is to tip it back into the hive from which it came
- if you know it and if it's one of yours. Many texts advise this. If you definitely
don't
want increase you can do this. The two queens will fight it out and one will live to head
the colony.
I did this twice in my early days because I didn't know any better and, on both occasions,
the bees swarmed again the next day. If you put them back where they came from, they
are likely to swarm again because the original cause of swarming will reoccur. Generally,
I try to prevent the swarming process from starting in the first place but, if it occurs and
I see it, I take the opportunity of increasing my stocks and giving the swarm some work
to do in making comb. I don't advise putting them back in their original hive. Try to
stop it in the first place and, if you can't, then use the swarms for increase.
Swarm prevention or swarm control?
Remember, if your bees swarm, half your honey-collecting field force will go and there
will be a long gap before the hive is up and running again because the bees will have to
wait for the replacement queen to mate and lay eggs. You will then have to wait for these
eggs to become bees. So you must do something about swarming, and swarming only
happens significantly in the spring.
First, there is swarm prevention and, second, there is swarm control. Swarm
prevention is all about managing your colonies so that the swarming impulse doesn't
arise in the first place. Swarm control is about letting the bees swarm, but only under
your control so that you at least retain the bees. This may occur when you have left
it too late to prevent them from swarming or, despite your best attempts at swarm
prevention, the bees are still determined to swarm - and it happens. Let's first look at
swarm prevention.
