# When do bees swarm?



## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

I know the whys and hows that bees swarm but not sure of the timing. Do they swarm early, early in the spring? Do they swarm only after the dandelions die out? Do they swarm in the summer? 

I'm trying to figure out how often I need to crack open my hives to check for swarming indications. I have my hives in the middle of our property and it's a pain to get back there a lot (perhaps not well thought out). If I can get it nailed down as to when they'd swarm, that would at least give me an idea as to when I need to have other hives ready for caught swarms, or have some bait hives set out.

Speaking of bait hives... Where's the best place to put them in relationship to the existing hive? In other words, how far will a swarm go before it settles to form it's ball? Or... If a bait hive is hung from a tree within "X" feet of a hive, will the swarm find it and settle in?

Getting a handle on things.... hopefully .... :bouncy:


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## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

Swarming is closely related to flow. So you need to figure when your main flow period is.

Around here, we have swarming mostly in May and June. Although it may happen throughout the summer on a much lower level.

Once the summer solstice passes, swarming in greatly reduced.

You can have a secondary swarm season in the fall based strictly on fall flow. Areas with goldenrod, aster, and area like in Florida with Brazilian peppers can see swarming also. 

Many things may play into it. Congestion, etc. But bees are programmed to take advantage of times of plenty, and recognizing bees swarm in the fall based on fall flow only reinforces this.

Identiy your main flow plants, and you can get an idea of when they will want to swarm.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

A Swarm is May is worth a ton of hay
A Swarm in June is worth a Silver Spoon.
A Swarm in July let the little ungrateful buggers fly...~lol~...


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## Handyman (Sep 11, 2009)

Do all bees swarm, or just honey bees?


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## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

Handyman said:


> Do all bees swarm, or just honey bees?


Just Honey Bees.


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