12 



Farmers' Bulletin il98 



any. The condition of tlie colony- 

 brought about by a period of queen- 

 lessness is apparently a greater factor 

 in reducing the tendency to swarm 

 than the age of the queen, for if the 

 old queen is removed or caged within 

 the hive for 10 days and then reintro- 

 duced, no queen cells being permitted 

 to mature in the meantime, the bees 

 give up swarming frequently for the 

 remainder of the season. Colonies 

 which have both a young queen and 

 the interval of queenlessness usually 

 may be considered safe from swarm- 

 ing again the same season, especially 

 In the North. Such colonies are com- 

 parable to the parent colony in nature. 



VARIATION IN TIME OF SWARMING 

 SEASON IN RELATION TO THE HONEY 

 FLOW 



Since the time of the swarming sea- 

 son is apparently determined largely 

 by the great expansion of spring 

 brood rearing, it does not necessarily 

 coincide with the main- honey flow of 

 the season, although the honey flow 

 may greatly modify the tendency to 

 swarm (p. 7). The time of the 

 swarming season with reference to 

 the time of the main honey flow is a 

 factor of importance in choosing the 

 proper management of colonies that 

 swarm or prepare to swarm. 



(1) In some localities, particularly 

 in some of the Southern States, the 

 main honey flow may not occur untU 

 six or eight weeks after the swarming 

 season. The colonies may reach their 

 maximum strength during the spring 

 brood-rearing period and swarming 

 may be stimulated by a light honey 

 flow. There may be considerable 

 swarming even when the colonies are 

 securing no more than a living from 

 the flelds, and sometimes bees may 

 swarm even when it is necessary to 

 feed the newly hived swarms to pre- 

 vent starvation. If there is a com- 

 plete dearth of nectar at this time, 

 however, the bees usually give up 

 swarming and greatly reduce their 

 brood-rearing activities. Such colo- 

 nies after having reached their maxi- 

 mum strength in the spring are not 

 Inclined to rear brood extensively 

 again until the honey- flow begins. 

 Under these conditions the colonies 

 arrive at the beginning of the honey 

 flow with a largfe proportion of old 

 bees and usually do not swarm during 

 the honey flow unless it is of suflicient 

 duration for the bees to flU their hives 

 again with brood and to become 

 crowded with young bees before its 

 close. Swarming is not difiicult to 

 Eontrol under these circumstances un- 



less the bees are gathering a little 

 more than a living at the time of the 

 swarming season, and usually the ad- 

 dition of an abundance of room in the 

 form of empty combs with the brood 

 extending through two or more stories 

 of the hive will practically prevent 

 swarming under these conditions. 



When swarming occurs six weeks or 

 more previous to the beginning of the 

 main honey flow, both the parent 

 colony and the swarm should be given, 

 every advantage to enable them to 

 build up again to full strength, so that 

 both may gather a full crop. In such 

 a locality, if natural swarming is 

 permitted, all afterswarming should 

 be prevented (p. 14). It is better, 

 however, to divide the colonies, some 

 time before they have reached their 

 maximum in spring brood rearing, into 

 twoi parts, supplying the queenless 

 polrtion with a young queen, thus 

 postponing the maximum egg laying 

 on the part of the old queen until 

 later. This division prevents swarm- 

 ing during the normal swarming sea- 

 son, and, if adequate stores are sup- 

 plied, should result later in two 

 colonies in splendid condition for the 

 honey flow. Colonies should not be 

 divided previous to the honey flow, 

 however, unless this can be done at 

 least five or six weeks before the 

 beginning of the main honey flow, for 

 this much time is needed for them to 

 build up to full strength. 



Another plan for controlling swarm- 

 ing so long previous to the main honey 

 flow is that of keeping the colonies 

 below swarming strength by removing 

 some of the bees, to be sold as pack- 

 age bees, where the beekeeper is so 

 located that he can sell them profltably 

 and does not desire to make further 

 increase. 



Some beekeepers who are located 

 vs-here the honey flow occurs some 

 time after the swarming season are 

 able to move their colonies to other 

 locations which furnish a honey flow 

 at this time, thus bringing the honey 

 flow and the swarming scsason to- 

 gether. 



(2) When the honey flow occurs 

 during the swarming season, as In the 

 clover region of the Northern States,' 

 the tendency to swarm is usually 

 strong, while the main honey flow is 

 usually short. Under these conditions 

 the colonies should not be permitted 

 to divide their working forces by 

 swarming, but most of the bees should 

 be massed during tfce honey flow, 

 either in the swarm or in the parent 

 colony. In regions where the swarm- 

 ing season and the honey flow coin- 



