What if my bees swarm

In preparation for the swarm, the workers will deprive the queen of food in order to slim her down so she can fly. They will also agitate and run her around in order to prevent her from laying many eggs. If they are going to swarm, they will create new queen cells and allow the queen to lay eggs so a new queen can emerge and take over the hive. Besides making honey, honey bees are essential for pollinating approximately 90 percent of our crops globally.

Many of our favorite foods like almonds, most of our cherries, apples, blueberries, and other fruit and nut crops wouldn't exist without these hard-working bees. However, they can become a nuisance when they take up residence in the walls of your home, garden shed or in your water meter. Last year was a particularly bad year for honey bees. Some beekeepers reported up to a 90 percent loss in their hives in Causes for this include varroa mite infestations, increased pathogens due to the warm weather, increased use of pesticides, and a decrease in diversity of food sources.

So, what can we do about a swarm? In most situations when a honey bee swarm is found on a tree, shrub or house you do not need to do anything. Swarms are temporary and the bees will move on if you patiently ignore them. Stay back and keep others away from the swarm, but feel free to admire and appreciate the bees from a safe distance. You may be able to give a honey bee swarm to a beekeeper who will gather the swarm and relocate it for you.

To find a beekeeper willing to capture swarms check with a local beekeeper you know or call authorities such as pest control operators, police and fire departments and the local extension office. The Iowa Honey Producers Association will help locate a beekeeper willing to rescue a swarm.

Only if a serious health threat is present because of the location of the swarm, such as in a highly traveled public area, should you attempt to do anything with a swarm. They spend another six days hardening their wings and maturing sexually. Add another two or three days to accomplish her mating flights.

Egg laying can begin as early as three days after mating. Altogether, this covers a period of 18 or 19 days. Add a day or so more for any weather delays to the mating flights and you get to three weeks as the minimum time from swarming to egg laying. It is bittersweet to find a new queen in possession of your old queen's hive, particularly if you didn't catch the departing swarm. But it is the way of the bees, even in managed colonies.

OK, your bees have swarmed; now what? What to do soon after your hive has swarmed It's very tempting to think of your now-diminished hive with less enthusiasm and figure that they should sort themselves out, on their own. Assessing the queen cells that the swarm left behind If the oldest looking cells still have their tips intact, you may not yet have a new queen afoot in the hive. Reducing the chance of after-swarms For this reason, many savvy beekeepers go back into a hive soon after a swarm and weed out the competition among the queens by destroying cells.

The easiest way to find a swarm collector is to contact a local beekeeping association. Aric Black, a Pickens county beekeeper, introducing a swarm to a new home. It is not illegal to destroy a swarm of honey bees, but it is not advisable. Trying to destroy a swarm can be dangerous, especially without the correct protective gear. More importantly, honey bees are beneficial pollinators that support agriculture and native plant communities.

If bees have moved into a chimney, column, or wall space in a building, then they are no longer swarming and will remain to build a new colony. They will build wax combs, lay eggs, and store honey and pollen. Sealing the entrance or killing the colony will leave the bees and their hive materials inside the cavity to die and rot, which will attract rodents and pests.

The colony and its provisions must be removed before the entrance is sealed. This may require some deconstruction, which may be beyond the abilities of the beekeeper. A few beekeepers around the state are capable of this type of work. Some beekeepers can deconstruct and remove the colony, but repairs will require the skills of a licensed contractor that can clean and restore the damaged structure.

Bees and honeycomb that were found in the wall of a home. This means that South Carolina residents are more likely to witness a swarm than ever before. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named.

All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas.