Honey Bee Swarm?

by | May 5, 2017 | Advanced, Behavior, Colony Management, FAQs, How To, Spring, Summer

Honey Bees Swarm in Spring and Early Summer: April, May, June, July

If you see a cluster of several thousand honey bees. DON’T PANIC

A nearby  honey bee colony is dividing, creating a new colony. You have a Honey Bee Swarm.

Swarms are Extremely Tame – Not at all likely to attack people, children, pets

PLEASE

  • You are Lucky – Few people are fortunate to see this Miracle of Nature.

  1. Quick spreadsheet for planning and tracking Member David Hocutt shared a chart (below) that he uses to plan and track various treatments for his colonies. Now is the time to make...
  2. Resource from Honey Bee Health Coalition Several of us from a recent meeting mentioned that we should make sure members have access to this great resource on bee health and pest...
  3. Dealing With Deadouts What is a deadout? These are beehives who’s colonies did not make it through the winter. When you look inside it may look quite “ugly”...
  4. Spring Hive Evaluation Are your bees doing well? Have you checked on them recently? Are they alive? Do they need feeding? With a couple of warm days in...
  5. Retrieve Your Own Swarms? Discussion below describes this beekeeper’s general approach to capturing swarms. Every situation is slightly different. (Other beekeepers will have slightly different approaches). Capturing swarms can be...
  6. Early Spring Check List There several things beekeepers can do to help your bees, promote healthy colonies and increase likelihood of a good honey crop. (See also the post,...
  7. Feeding Late-Summer & Fall A strong colony requires healthy bees for raising brood and building the colony population. This includes BOTH available carbohydrate (Honey) along with adequate proteins and...
  8. Beekeeping Year Calendar Cornell University’s Master Beekeeping Program has a number of valuable resources. Visit their Beekeeping Resources Page. Included is a very informative Beekeeping Year Calendar page,...