Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Combining easy "On The Spot" (OTS) queen rearing (as coined by Mel Disselkoen) with artificial swarms is a tremendous early spring swarm prevention technique any beekeeper can quickly learn. This post will attempt to help beekeepers understand swarm behavior better and instruct how to combine these two techniques each spring before swarm season begins. The result? — You can raise your own queens, increase your colony count (if desired), and stop losing your time and money to annual swarming.

To begin, let’s talk a little about honey bee swarms...

Anatomy of a swarm

There is much left to learn about swarming behavior but we do know quite a bit. You can find entire books and courses on the subject. I like the following description from my bookshelf that gives a general idea.

From Beekeeper’s Handbook, pg 154:

By reproducing, organisms perpetuate and protect their kind from extinction…honey bee colonies do this by swarming. This activity of dividing the nest with new reproductives is very expensive. A colony divides, and part of it leaves for a new homesite, usually with the old queen, while the remaining members continue at the original site with a newly emerged ― and later mated ― queen. In this manner, a single unit becomes two. An abundance of food, a higher worker population, and the formation of many queen cells, often called swarm cells, indicate that swarming preparations are under way. Shortly after the swarm cells are sealed, the colony will cast a swarm. Bees will exit as a swarm on any warm, windless day; usually between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (earlier or later if the weather is favorable). Occasionally, bees will swarm when the weather is less than favorable.

Like any animal or insect, you can count on them to reproduce when conditions are right. Honey bees are no different. What is intriguing, if you think about it, is that an entire colony is being propagated, not just one individual. The steps involved in colony increase, of which swarming is a part, are incredibly complex and a fascinating topic to contemplate.

Reasons honey bees swarm

There are many reasons beyond reproduction that will cause a colony to swarm. To be accurate, the term “swarm” really doesn’t apply in all cases. Sometimes it can be described as “absconding”, the process of a colony abandoning their existing location for a better one.

Following is a list of reasons, not entirely exhaustive, that would induce swarming:

From Beekeeper’s Handbook, pg 155:

Reasons for swarming

* congestion

* unbalanced numbers of different-aged workers

* overheating

* defective or old combs

* queen’s egg-laying becoming restricted as empty celled filled with honey

* inclement weather keeping bees confined

* failing queen

* the decline of queen pheromone

* genetics or race of bees

* idle nurse bees

As you can see, not all reasons for swarming can be associated with reproduction. That said, the main impetus would be colony increase and that is the focus of this post.

Imminent signs of swarming

It is somewhat difficult to ascertain when a colony is about to swarm, but there are a some clear markers that indicate it’s about to happen.

Each spring you can count on honey bee swarms to begin during a certain window of time. For me, this is around May 1 through the 15th depending on weather, temperatures and colony health.

Back in January or February, my colonies start a slow process of building brood to replace overwintered bees and ramp up for the first nectar and pollen flow. As they get closer to May the queens lay more and more and colony expansion is clearly evident. If left to themselves the larger colonies, if not all of them, will proceed right into swarm mode. Some of those signs are:

From BeeKeeper’s Handbook, pg 155

Signs of imminent swarming:

* after queen cells are sealed over

* when the wax has been removed from tips of queen cells

* when few bees are foraging compared to other hives of the same strength

* when bees are clustered near the entrance, not due to hive congestion or warm temps

* usually on the first warm, sunny, calm day following a short period of cold, wet, cloudy days when congestion in the hive is aggravated

To be clear, the goal for this post and OTS methods is to not let your colonies get to this point but to instead manage them intelligently, using this swarming impulse to your advantage and not lose your bees.

If you already see queen cells with royal jelly then it’s too late and you have a separate issue on your hands to contend with.

The problem with swarms

This can be a touchy subject for some due to varying perspectives about beekeeping in general. Some think bees should be left to themselves and let swarm. Let me assure you ― you won’t have bees for long and you may incur the wrath of your neighbors terrified with swarms of “killer bees” swirling in their yard. As well, this path of inadequate or non-managed bees will eventually lead to disease and pest issues. This will be a detriment not only to your bees but others near you.

Here is the long-standing reality: Honey bees thrive when intelligently managed by people. They are a unique creation. Both humans and bees benefit. Left to themselves, you would see few bees in your yard each spring, especially these days with various new disease, pest, and pesticide issues we must face, unheard of only 50 to 100 years ago.

I like this frank discussion about letting bees swarm:

From Beekeeper’s Handbook, pg 154

Swarming was once considered a sign of “good and productive” beekeeping, for the beekeepers could increase their holdings from the numerous swarms available. Straw skeps, logs, and other types of cramped hives have been used to house bees since the 1600s, but these containers quickly became overcrowded and thus promoted the swarming of bees. Today, swarming is viewed as a sign of a beekeeper’s negligence because it means a loss of both bees (unless the swarm is captured) and the production of honey. Although most beekeepers make efforts to prevent or control swarming, it is not an easy task. The picture is further complicated by the fact that most methods used for controlling or preventing swarming result in manipulations that reduce the colony size (which is what happens when the colony swarms). Thus, although swarming can be controlled or prevented, in doing so the goal of maintaining populous colonies for the honey flow is somewhat sacrificed. Nevertheless, this is far better than having the colony cast a swarm that may leave the apiary site before you can recapture it.

Fortunately for us, there is a very simple and time-tested method for swarm prevention and colony increase without sacrificing honey flow whatsoever. You can keep your bees and your honey IN your yard! Let’s talk about the specifics.

Preventing Spring Swarms with OTS

At a high level, the plan is simple. In the process we are going to 1) create an artificial swarm one week before swarm season, 2) easily rear one or more queen cells a week later, and then, 3) increase your colony count as desired. You will have options to choose from depending on whether you wish to increase your colonies, harvest honey, or a mixture of both.

Why does this work?

I personally switched to using Mel Disselkoen’s OTS methods in 2012 and haven’t looked back. I’m successful enough to sell overwintered nucs each year to local beekeepers, even in a difficult environment here in the Cleveland area. It just works.

I rarely have a swarm in my apiary any longer. I don’t have to worry about swarms in my neighborhood, even with 30 colonies out back and houses all around.

Mel has been doing bees since the 70’s and has decades of experience to lean on. His book is well worth the expenditure—just think how much you’re spending on replacing bees each year as you consider the book knowing you’ll never buy bees again.

Why does the OTS method work? I think for several reasons but chief among them in my mind:

The beekeeper is proactively preventing swarms and equipped to do so It is a simple and efficient method of raising quality queens in your own yard You are creating a brood break in your colonies which disrupts the varroa mite life cycle The method encourages and facilitates increasing your number of colonies, giving you more latitude for losses and options in your apiary The method encourages and facilitates entering winter with young queens and healthy bees

There are many other benefits as we consider the benefits of the method such as developing local genetics, not bringing in outside bees, becoming self-sufficient, and more.

Here are the specific steps:

Week One

Step 1.1: Create an artificial swarm one week before swarm season in your area