HONEYBEE SWARMS

“A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay,

A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon,

But a swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly”

In days gone by a swarm of bees was a valuable find for a beekeeper as it ensured a honey crop for that season. With changing farming practices, global warming and bee diseases this is not always the case today!

Frequently asked questions about honeybee swarms:

How do I know if it is a swarm of honeybees or a nest of wasps or bumble bees?

Wasps and bumble bees do not swarm, although you may see large numbers entering and leaving a nest entrance. A swarm of bees in flight is a scary sight with as many as 50,000 bees forming a ‘moving cloud’. They pass by very quickly and will eventually settle and form a cluster that could be bigger than a rugby ball. Look at descriptions and photographs of the different insects and nests.

Why do honeybees swarm?

This is the natural way that honeybees reproduce to form new colonies. Most honeybees have a swarming instinct and in May or June, when the population of the colony reaches a certain level the swarm will leave the beehive and seek out a new site. Before leaving, the workers will have made a number of ‘Queen cells’, out of which a new queen will emerge and head the old colony.

How many bees make up a swarm?

Only one Queen, but she will be accompanied by up to 50,000 workers!

Is a swarm of bees dangerous?

Before the swarm leaves the original hive the bees gorge themselves on honey to ‘keep them going’ until a new nest is established and the bees start foraging again. This high honey intake makes the bees lethargic and they are not usually aggressive. As the bees use up their honey stores they do become more agitated and aggressive, especially if approached. You should not try and move a swarm of bees yourself.

Are honeybees a protected species?

Legally NO, but it is not environmentally ethical to destroy them unnecessarily.

Occasionally, if bees are well established in an inaccessible location (like a chimney stack) the only solution will probably be to destroy them. If this is the case, only approved pesticides can be used and the person carrying out the operation should wear full protective clothing. Once the bees have been destroyed it will be necessary to seal the nest to prevent foraging honeybees and bumble bees from other colonies becoming contaminated.

LEA HOUSE APIARIES OFFERS AN EXPERT SERVICE IN THIS FIELD.

Why do some beekeepers not collect swarms?

If a swarm is difficult to get to it may be beyond a beekeepers physical means to collect it.

Bee and Wasp Identification

With over 300 species of bees and wasps in the British Isles and more arriving from Continental Europe as temperatures increase it is sometimes difficult to make positive identifications and to assess the risk of what
can be a dangerous insect or totally harmless.