Swarming is a natural way of dividing bee colonies, which allows you to quickly and painlessly increase the population. Beekeepers use this instinct solely in their own interests, strengthening the apiary at the expense of families separated from the mother’s hives.
But more often they resort to anti-fighting methods to avoid the natural settling of bees from hives of sun loungers or multi-hull houses. This is done for a very simple reason. The swarm state is an instinct that is difficult to control by humans. Preventing his awakening is much easier than coping with the consequences of the swarm chaos in the apiary.
The content of the article
- 1 Process biology
- 2 What does the exit of swarm bees look like?
- 3 Techniques to reduce natural swarming
- 3.1 Work with sunbeds
- 3.2 Working with multi-housing dwellings – the first way
- 3.3 The second way is a deaf ceiling
- 3.4 Working with two-body houses
- 3.5 The second option
- 3.6 Third Embodiment
- 4 Working with 12-frame hives
- 5 Conclusion
Process biology
Any swarm leaves the hive because of the naturalness of this process. Insects follow their biological program. That is, this is a property of a healthy bee colony.
But at the same time, different bee breeds differ in the degree of swiftness. In some genera, instinct is spontaneous. There is even a special definition – swarm fever. This is a situation when up to 12 or more bee colonies are settled at a point at the same time. In other populations, swarming is a single phenomenon that practically does not cause trouble for the beekeeper. For example, a cross between local bees and a Georgian breed is distinguished by this “character”.
The main reasons for the departure of swarms include a number of factors unfavorable for a comfortable life. Bees don’t like:
- A sharp rise in temperature. When the temperature indicators in the nest exceed the +36 degrees mark, the instinct of natural settlement awakens.
- The tightness in the hive, which automatically raises the temperature. This happens with the rapid spring-summer growth of bee colonies.
- Long-term absence of natural bribe. Working insects simply have nothing to do in their house – they immediately rebuild swarms and reduce wax production.
The appearance of nectar in nature well suppresses the swarming instinct. As soon as the scouts discover a bribe, all flying individuals immediately go to the preparation of feed and independently gnaw the already erected queen cells.
What does the exit of swarm bees look like?
A swarm comes out of the hive often unexpectedly for the beekeeper. But with careful housekeeping, you can easily detect signs of the awakening of the swarm instinct.
If a family suddenly stops working normally, this is a reason to pay special attention to it. When examining such a hive, a uterus is found that has stopped laying eggs, as well as sealed queen cells. Their bees, as it were, hide from prying eyes in the lower part of the honeycomb.
The bees themselves behave in a typical swarm moment: they accumulate in large heaps at the bottom of the frames, cram on the landing board and settle on the walls of the house. In some cases, you can find a huge club right under the flight board.
The fetal uterus has a fairly large weight. Therefore, the pervak swarm comes out only in the first half of the day in sunny and calm weather. It is grafted low – on the nearest bushes, low fruit trees growing within 30-40 meters from their home.
In such a bee congregation, there are up to 50 bees. And the weight of the club reaches from three to six kilograms. The additional weight is created by honey collected in goiter. Swarming insects carry with them up to 000 kilograms of food. This amount of honey is enough for food “on the road” and a week’s existence outside the home.
Due to honey reserves in a kilogram of a swarm there will be about 6-000 individuals instead of the usual 7-000 flying insects.
Note: when the first signs of swarming are found, it is recommended to carefully mow the grass around the bee houses. The old heavy “queen” in some cases clumsily falls to the ground.
In this case, the formed club will begin to disintegrate – the bees from the scion will return to their home in search of the queen.
When examining the landing board, grass underfoot and walls, you can find a lost uterus, catch it, put it in a cage, which must then be put into a swarm. The swarm is hung near the scion, which allows you to easily collect all the bees within 20-30 minutes. In the evening they are brought into a clean bee house.
The classic exit of swarm bees looks like this:
- Adult bees quickly run out of the entrance and take off without turning their heads towards the dwelling.
- Having flown 10-15 meters away, they begin to dodge in the air with a loud hum.
- At this time, adults from neighboring hives and the swarm uterus join.
- The sound of a large swarm in calm weather is similar in intensity to the roar of a helicopter. It is impossible not to hear him.
- As soon as the queen joins the bulk of the bees, they calm down and amicably settle in the chosen place – they are grafted on bushes, trees, special traps.
Note: If the second and third swarms come out, they rush away from their native apiary. But they can be easily tracked if desired.
Techniques to reduce natural swarming
The golden rule of thumb for all reasonable beekeepers is to keep the apiary busy. Insects have to do productive work all the time: rebuild combs, raise brood. And the beekeeper at this time carefully monitors the condition of the nests, avoiding crowding, overheating. Only with this approach will the apiary be profitable!
It helps to stop the resettlement instinct well:
- painting bee houses in light shades;
- regular selection of brood frames together with young insects and formation of layers;
- increased ventilation.
Work with sunbeds
The following method is used in sun loungers:
- When a drone brood appears, the “queen” is separated from the brood frames.
- At the same time, the space of the house is divided into two parts: 12 honeycomb frames are left in the larger compartment, and eight frames are placed in the smaller one near the entrance gap.
- A compartment for 8 frames is formed from brood with a queen, sushi in the amount of 2-3 pieces, 2-3 frames with foundation (they are installed just opposite the tap hole).
- A 12-frame compartment is assembled from combs with young brood, installed adjacent to the dividing grid, and frames with printed brood.
- As the youngsters emerge, they are gently shaken off to the part of the house where the “queen” lives. Young individuals willingly build honeycombs, thereby stimulating egg-laying in the uterus.
- When all the young bees come out in the large compartment, they fly around and return to the hive to the queen, finding themselves in a swarm position – there will be a lot of open brood in the developing nest.
- The female workers carry the nectar to a large department, where after the release of the young, many empty cells have appeared.
- After two weeks, the frames in the departments can be swapped.
Note: in a large department, female workers willingly rebuild foundation. It can be installed one at a time between the brood and feed frames.
Working with multi-housing dwellings – the first way
In multi-body designs, they act according to a different scheme:
- The “Queen” together with the bees is driven into the lower body with the help of a smoker.
- Remove the upper housing and install a dividing grid.
- Return the body to its place and fill it with dry mix with foundation. All are covered with another dividing grid.
- At the very top, under the lid, layering is made: brood queens are installed, mature mothers are given out and the entrance gap is opened.
- This method allows you not to limit the mother’s bee family – insects move freely throughout the house. As a result, the swarm instinct fades away and the problem of nest overpopulation is solved.
- When a young uterus appears in the upper body, the families continue to communicate, but the young layering begins to fly exclusively through its entrance slot.
- At the same time, the mother’s bee colony is getting toned – a phase of growth and increase in strength begins. Honey is stored in the middle building. And the free cells at the bottom are used for egg-laying.
- The cutter also uses the middle body as a fodder reserve, which has a positive effect on the performance of the young “queen”. After the young animals emerge, a sufficient volume of space for sowing appears in the upper building. Such a family does not need to be specially fed or strengthened.
Note: When filling the middle body with honey, it is transferred upwards – set above the layering. In the vacant space, they put a new building with dry land and foundation. In this way, it is possible to increase the hive up to six full-fledged buildings, which provides the bees with work until the onset of the main honey collection.
The second way is a deaf ceiling
This method involves the use of a blank ceiling instead of a dividing grid.
The bees, in the same way as in the first example, are driven down the dwelling together with the queen. Then the lower body, together with the bottom, is rotated 180 degrees, and the ceiling, the body with brood and mature mother liquor, is installed in turn from above. The upper body is insulated with a mattress.
The displacement of the tap hole of the lower body by 180 degrees causes natural division of flying insects. Returning from the fields, some of them will not be able to find the entrance to the dwelling and will move to the layering, thereby strengthening it. The other part of the flying bee, after all, will find the old nest and return home. The flight lasts an average of 1,5-3 hours.
Two days later, another one is installed on the lower body, filling it with foundation and low-copper honeycombs. Further expansion of both bee colonies is carried out as they grow by installing additional bodies on top of the nests.
Both methods of combating swarming in multihull hives allow keeping full-fledged layers, which contain flying insects and brood of all ages.
Working with two-body houses
Counter-fighting techniques in double-hulled hives are based on the expansion of the nests, namely, on the transfer of brood frames or queen bees.
“Queen” is limited at the bottom of the dwelling with a dividing grid. This leaves one unsealed brood honeycomb with fresh eggs. The empty space is filled with dry and foundation.
Note: If the pervak swarm has already flown off. There is no need to leave eggs and brood in the lower body!
The printed brood removed from the nest, as well as dry or foundation is installed in the upper body. Abundant honey collection in this case requires the addition of store extensions to the hive.
Here is a diagram of such an extension:
The second option
You can also move up all the brood honeycombs, leaving only dry and a working uterus below.
A hole is made in the upper body for the flight of drones. They stop clogging the dividing grid and perishing inside the dwelling.
Third Embodiment
You can divide the entire brood by age:
- unsealed remains at the bottom with the “queen”;
- and the printed one is taken up.
All three variations of this method allow you to cope with the problems that provoke the swarm instinct:
- the nest is not overloaded with brood;
- there are empty cells suitable for laying eggs;
- young animals do not accumulate in the lower body;
- there is free space for harvesting nectar and pollen;
- all young insects end up in the upper building, where they have a whole range of concerns: receiving and storing nectar, pulling off honeycombs, drying and printing food supplies.
When filling the second building with fodder supplies, a store extension is placed on top.
The technique has proven itself best in the presence of first-class queens and brood hatching in two enclosures.
Working with 12-frame hives
Counter-fighting methods in 12-frame hives also boil down to timely expansion of nests.
Many beekeepers like this design of bee houses, but it has one noticeable drawback – it will not work to increase the required number of flight bees for honey collection in such a cramped nest.
Lack of space limits the amount of foundation – more than 2-3 frames cannot be installed. Accordingly, youngsters remain unemployed – the “solution to the housing problem” comes first.
To exclude swarming simultaneously with the issuance of the last 12th nest frame, extensions with half frames are installed. Six artificial waxes are placed in each extension. The rest of the space is filled with dry land.
A total of 12 half-frames are installed in compliance with the alternation of sushi and foundation (they are placed after one). If you dispense less, the bees will instinctively lengthen the combs, thereby making the cells unsuitable for laying.
Note: The warmer the weather and the more powerful the supporting bribe, the more sushi can be placed in the extension.
Later, the half-frames are used by the “queen” for laying eggs. After filling the lower part of the hive with brood, honey and bee bread, it goes into the extension.
To stimulate the construction of combs, one brood frame with young larvae can be raised upward. The female workers will immediately begin to rebuild the established foundation. After 2-3 days, it is necessary to cut off all drone cells from the nesting frame – the bees construct a separate tongue for them on the lower bar.
As the family grows, a second extension is installed (between the body and the first store). It also alternates between dryness and foundation through one frame.
Conclusion
Removal of bees from a swarm state in multi-hives, as well as other types of hives, can be performed in simpler ways.
For example, let the bee colony cool down ready for resettlement. To do this, all insects are shaken off onto a prepared surface (board, piece of plywood, cloth), and then, using a wooden spoon, they are collected in a swarm, which is lowered into the cellar for a day.
After being imprisoned, the bees calm down. They are divided into two layers, they give out queens (fertile and infertile), driving them along with the bees through the hive entrances.
Another fairly effective method is the use of an anti-combat pocket. We wrote about him separately at the end of the article: Breeding an apiary with the help of swarms
Bees in your pocket
For novice beekeepers, any of the following methods is suitable. But all of them are quite laborious and are not recommended for large industrial apiaries.
