# Swarming????



## wvsjwest (Nov 26, 2011)

I am new at bees and have a couple questions about swarms. I had a single hive that swarmed a week ago I caught them and put them in a hive they seem to be doing good then in the last two days I have had two more swarms and they won't stay in the hives. are these virgin queens and is this common for them to swarm this much? Both the original and the second hive seem to be thriving.


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

What you are experiencing are secondary swarms. 

After the first swarm left and once a new queen hatches, sometimes she doesn't go around and kills off all of her sisters. For whatever reason she takes off with a smaller amount of bees than the first swarm. (And this can happen several times.)

As for not staying in the box, sometimes new swarms just don't like the new home you put them in. Take an open frame of brood - eggs and larva from one of your other hives (make sure the queen isn't on it and shake the majority of bees back into the hive. Put your frame of eggs and larva in the hive with the swarm and that should keep them there. (They won't want to leave the eggs and larva.)

Good luck.


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## wvsjwest (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks,
I will try that if they swarm again. I like the Idea of wild hives in the area but, I DON'T WANT THEM ALL TO BE MINE


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Nobody knows why one time a queen will kill her sisters and claim a hive for her own, while another time she will take some bees with her and find a new hive. 

We *DO* know that a queen MAY be a virgin when she leaves, but by the time she moves into her new home she no longer is. Apparently a virgin queen will combine a swarming flight with a mating flight.


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