Simply put, a colony is a process in which about half of the bees (on average) are separated from an existing colony along with the old queen to form a new colony. Under certain conditions, a strong colony of bees can rupture and one or more colonies will leave the hive.
Bees move their hives for three reasons: overpopulation, food, and threats. When the hive bears too many bees, they seek a new place to build a new one. If the local food supply is low, then bees create hives in more abundant locales. And if the environment becomes dangerous, then bees migrate elsewhere.
Honeybee colonies arise because once the colony becomes too large, the queen bee leaves the current nest and forms a new colony with thousands of worker bees. When the bee family splits, the new queen will stay in the hive, while the older queen will look for a new home with some worker bees and a few male drones.
Bee Behavior and Its Connection to Hive Development
As soon as the swarm cells are built for new queens and the queen lays her eggs there, the bee colony changes its behavior. When swarming occurs, a significant number of bees remain in the hive, grow a new queen, and continue to thrive. Swarming is when the bees naturally divide an existing colony roughly in half, with half of the bees staying in the hive and the other half leaving (with the queen) in search of new housing.
As queens from a different subspecies replace the queens in the hive, the colony will change over the next few weeks as new bees hatch from new queen eggs mature and older bees in the colony reach the end of their natural life. Beekeepers have known for centuries that in late spring or early summer a powerful colony of bees swarms, in the process the queen and about half of the worker bees leave the hive to establish a new colony.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s daughter and other workers stayed behind to continue the old colony. The queen bee usually takes off and takes away a large number of worker bees, leaving the rest of the hive and some virgin queen bee larvae behind.
The Migration of Queens and the Hive
When the queen is ready, the queen leaves the hive followed by about half of the entire workforce in a huge cloud of flying bees. Then the queen bee herself and most of her worker bees, having stocked up on honey from their reserves, leave the hive to find a new nesting site.
While the mother is fasting, the worker bees that are about to swarm with her fill their honey guts with nectar so they have the resources to build combs and build a new hive. The queen mother begins laying her eggs in the new comb, and the reaper bees begin collecting nectar and pollen to maintain the new hive.
As a result, the large numbers of young bees lead to overcrowding in the hive, hindering both the queen bee’s desire to lay eggs and the ability of the worker bees to add more honey and pollen. A growing hive requires a strong queen and workforce to prepare for overwintering, so splitting a hive with a weaker population, brood, or honey/pollen deposits can increase the hive’s workload.
Tips on Predicting a Swarm Migration
If you notice any signs that your hive is about to swarm, separate the queen bee and most worker bees into a separate hive. If you think your hive is about to swarm, you can divide the hive into two colonies, or take bees from two healthy hives and create a third hive.
Even if you’re not interested in expanding your apiary, divide your hives now before the swarms swarm, ensuring your efficient queens and hives stay on your apiary rather than looking for a new home. If you notice your hive is full, or you just want to split a sturdy hive without waiting for the queen cells to develop, you can simply order a new queen from your local supplier.
To conduct an artificial swarm, it is necessary to determine the queen, then move it and several bee frames to a new hive, leaving a strong hive without a queen. Unlike the distant division, for the swarm division it is necessary to find a queen.
I prefer to place the entire swarm in an empty box or hive core (smaller version), including the queen. Some beekeepers like to place the entire group of bees on a tarp in front of the hive and let the bees enter the hive on their own.
Tips on Relocating a Bee Colony
Make sure to check the back of the hive, some colonies have a hole next to the false cover, which will be a pleasant surprise if you direct the bees to a new bee location. Often, even as spring approaches, the original queen and colony remain at the top of the hive, while the bottom of the hive is empty.
This position provides the weaker hive with more bees and more honey, and can stimulate the queen bee in the weaker hive to lay more eggs per day, further strengthening the hive. The lifespan of worker bees varies from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the time of year, so during this time the hive can grow into a whole new colony of bees.
Workers signal a swarm when a colony has outgrown its home and has become so overcrowded or overcrowded that the queen’s pheromone can’t control the entire workforce. A colony occurs when a large swarm of bees leaves an existing colony and flies away to create a new colony, basically producing two colonies from one colony.
Traditionally, a hive is when about half of the hives separate from other hives and go on to create their own independent hives. In this case, all bees, including the queen, leave the existing hive entirely due to lack of food or water, infection with parasites or diseases, frequent disturbance by humans or animals, climate change, poor ventilation, or problems with the queen bee.
