Bee Swarms

by Nick Pendleton, Woodside Farm, Piltdown

It will soon be that time of the year again (end of April, May, June and sometimes July) when honeybees will start to swarm.

Swarming is the natural way that a colony of honeybees reproduces. It happens when a new queen has been created and is almost ready to emerge from her cell. Unlike humans, the parent queen and flying bees leave their home rather than waiting for the offspring to leave and set up independently. In preparation for swarming honeybees gorge on the hive honey, prior to their journey in search of a suitable nesting site.

When they are ready to go, the bees leave the hive and can appear like a cloud in the air. We tend to spot them when they are resting as a cluster, attached to a tree branch, with the queen at their centre. Without her, there is no future for the colony. If you are unsure what a swarm looks like, please google it, and select images to see. The resting place for a swarm can be in the most unusual places and should not be confused with a wasp nest.

Swarming bees have little interest in people when in this mode, having gorged themselves on honey from the hive, prior to leaving it. As such, whilst it might look intimidating, they really are quite docile. Their priority is to find a safe place to set up their new colony, so you have little to fear from them. However, you should still act with caution as bees are wild insects.

Please contact me If you find or see a resting swarm. I am a local beekeeper who will come and collect it. I have Apiaries on several farms in the district. Swarms are used to replenish winter colony losses, give to new beekeepers wishing to get started and used to assist with Queen rearing.

Tel: 07931 751 556