Swarm Departure, Composition and Scout Bees

1 . What happens during the time of the swarm?

Queen flies off with about 60% of the workers (10,000-15,000 workers)

2 . Which bees will join the swarm, and which bees will stay behind?

Younger bees are more prone to swarm. Up to 70% of the younger bees will join the swarm. It is important to have longer-lived bees in the swarm until the first brood emerges 3-4 weeks later.

3 . What is this first swarm called?

Prime swarm

4 . What happens after the prime swarm?

• They fly to a temporary location - QMP and Nasonov pheromones help the swarming bees locate the temporary site.

• Scouts begin looking for a permanent site /home.

• Must be far enough away from the parent colony that they don’t compete with the parent colony for resources, but not so far away that they use up all energy resources in their crop.

5 . Where is the most likely temporary location of the swarm?

Up in the air dangling from tree limbs

6 . Do honey bee swarms ever have a temporary location on the ground? Why?

Bee swarms on the ground indicate queen flight issues, such as injury or disease. Some bee keepers clip the wings of the queen to keep her from swarming When a swarm is collecting on the ground, it’s because they don’t have another choice. That is where the queen landed, and for some reason, she couldn’t fly off. So, the swarm stays with her on the ground.

7 . How do the scout bees direct the swarm to the permanent location?

• Scouts recruit the cluster with waggle dances.

• Scouts steer the cluster with “streaking flights”. These are rapid flights through the body of the swarming bees in the direction of the permanent location.