Glossary
The natural reproductive process of the honey bee colony (superorganism), where the original queen and approximately half the workers leave the hive to establish a new colony, while the remaining bees raise a new queen. Swarming is a sign of colony health and strength, not disease or aggression.
Individual organisms reproduce by having offspring. Honey bee colonies, as superorganisms, reproduce by swarming. When a colony reaches a critical combination of population density, age distribution, and seasonal conditions, it initiates the swarming process: the old queen takes flight with 40 to 60% of the adult workers (typically 10,000 to 30,000 bees), leaving behind the remaining workers, the brood, and the honey stores to raise a new queen and continue as a functioning colony.
Weeks before swarming, workers begin constructing queen cells (typically 5 to 20) along the bottom edges of brood frames. The queen's egg-laying rate slows as workers reduce her feeding (she must be lighter for flight). Scout bees begin searching for new nest sites (hollow trees, wall cavities, chimneys). When the first queen cells are capped (day 8 of queen development), the old queen and the departing workers gorge on honey and exit the hive in a dramatic mass exodus.
The swarm initially clusters on a nearby object (tree branch, fence post, car mirror) within 100 yards of the original hive. Scout bees perform waggle dances on the cluster surface, advertising potential nest sites. Over hours to days, scouts reach consensus through a democratic voting process. When agreement is reached, the swarm lifts off and flies directly to the chosen new home, sometimes several miles away.
Despite the dramatic appearance of 20,000 bees clustered on a branch, swarms are among the gentlest gatherings of bees you will ever encounter. The bees have no brood, no honey stores, and no home to defend. They are gorged with honey (full bees are calm bees) and focused entirely on finding a new home. Swarms almost never sting unless physically provoked.
Do not spray them or disturb them. Contact a local beekeeper or your county beekeeping association; most maintain swarm hotlines and will collect the swarm for free. The swarm will typically remain clustered for hours to a few days while scouts search for a home. A collected swarm becomes a healthy, productive colony.
Partially. Beekeepers use several techniques to reduce swarming impulse: providing adequate space (adding supers before overcrowding), performing splits (artificially dividing the colony before it swarms on its own), removing queen cells, and ensuring good ventilation. However, swarming is a deeply embedded biological drive, and even experienced beekeepers lose swarms occasionally.
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