Swarming
Also known as: Swarm, Bee swarm, Honey bee swarm
A swarm, or swarming, is the natural way a honey bee colony reproduces: the old queen leaves the hive with part of the workers to found a new colony.
A swarm, or swarming, is the natural way a honey bee colony reproduces: the old queen leaves the hive with part of the workers to found a new colony. According to MSU Extension, it is an instinct that doubles a colony's chances of survival. For a beekeeper, swarming is the biggest challenge in spring.
The primary swarm consists of the old queen, a few drones and 50–60 % of the workers. A swarm leaves in fine weather between 10 am and 2 pm and settles on a branch, post or building: for a few minutes to several days, until scout bees choose a new cavity.
The causes are congestion in the nest, a weakening queen-substance signal in a large colony, a queen older than a year, weather, poor ventilation and heredity. The first sign is queen cells in the nest; once a queen cell is capped, the bees are committed to swarming. In spring a colony also rears more drones: the highest number of mature drones coincides with swarming (Schaumann et al., 2024).
Why this matters to you. Swarming is natural reproduction, but for a beekeeper it means a lost crop: a colony that has swarmed rarely has a foraging force large enough for a marketable honey harvest (MSU).
Facts
| Season | In spring, when the colony grows fast |
|---|---|
| Duration | A swarm leaves in fine weather between 10 am and 2 pm |
| House range | Primary swarm: old queen, a few drones, 50–60 % of the workers |
| Main use | Reproduction of the colony as a whole |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Links
- Part of
- 🐝 Bees
- Similar and different
- Honey bee colony life cycle
Frequently asked questions
What is a bee swarm?
Part of a colony leaving to start a new one: the old queen leaves the hive with part of the workers, which is the natural way a colony reproduces.
Who goes with the primary swarm?
The old queen, a few drones and 50–60 % of the workers.
What causes a colony to swarm?
Crowding in the nest, a weakening queen-substance signal in a large colony, a queen older than a year, weather, poor ventilation and heredity.
Where does a swarm settle, and for how long?
On a branch, post or building, for a few minutes to several days, until scout bees choose a new cavity.
Is it true that cutting out queen cells is enough to stop swarming?
No: it only delays it, because the bees build new queen cells within days; once a queen cell is capped, the bees are committed to swarming.
Similar
Queen bee · Drone bee · Buckfast bee · Worker bee · Carniolan honey bee · Italian honey bee
Sources
- Mississippi State University Extension: Colony Growth and Seasonal Management of Honey Bees
- Penn State Extension: An Introduction to Queen Honey Bee Development (Anton, Grozinger, 2025)
- Schaumann et al. (2024) PLOS ONE: native and hybrid (Buckfast) honeybee drones in Sweden