Tips on Swarm Prevention

Watching swarming honey bees can definitely alarm some people. Nevertheless, most of the time, it is a natural process. It is a familiar sight during the spring and early summer. Honey bees intuitively manage the development of their colony and existence by swarming. Even though honeybees can swarm from their hive whenever they want, they lean towards swarming most during springtime. From time to time, honeybees swarm when they think it's time to create another colony. Nevertheless, there are other times when you can do nothing to stop swarming from taking place.

Why Do You Want to Prevent Swarming?

Swarming can be an intense sight and a natural occurrence, but it is not good news for you. A swarming bee colony is less likely to accumulate an excess of honey. It means there would be no honey harvest that year. After swarming, it can be difficult for colonies to regain population and productivity. It also means the bees might have a difficult time getting through colder months.

●       Make early separations in the spring - When the colonies make through winter successfully, you should make early splits and create another separate hive. This will not only create another beehive but also help you in lessening the bee population briefly and provide more space for the bees in the hive.

●       Reverse the position of the deeps - During the spring, when the weather gets sufficiently warm, you should reverse the position of the deeps. It will move the brood downwards to the deeper part and allow the storage of honey above that. It will also move the bees down towards the bottom part of the hive and it will give them the space to move upwards.

●       Re-queen or replace the old queen – You can replace the old queen with a new one. The process of re-queening the hive will depend on the management skills of the beekeeper. Some beekeepers re-queen the hives every spring and some others wait as hives choose new queen for themselves. Nevertheless, new queens are not very inclined to swarm after they have established themselves in the hive.

●       Learn more about your bees and track their behaviour- You must know your bees and their behaviour.  All bee types behave in different ways and have certain characteristics that define their types. Some bees produce more honey as compared to others, while some others are more susceptible to swarming. It will help you handle the swarming issues in a much better way.

●       Make regular checks – To avoid swarming, you must keep a regular check on your hives to see there is enough space for bees, the queen is working productively, and if the bees are showing any signs of possible swarming. You can do it by checking for the presence of a swarm cell at the bottommost part of the structure. If you see a swarm cell, then swarming will be inevitable. Leave it alone.

Try to stay a few steps ahead of the bees. Make sure that your bees have sufficient space between inspections for bees to exist together.