Before honey bees swarm, the workers gorge on stored honey
to have energy to survive from the time they leave their old hive until they
can forage from their new hive. By gorging on honey they also build up the
carbohydrate resources they will need to secrete the beeswax needed to build
new combs. In the swarming process, bees usually stop to rest on a tree limb or
other structure. Here, they are generally quite gentle because they don’t have
a nest with brood and food to defend. However, if the swarm does not find a
permanent nesting cavity within a couple of days and remains in its resting
place, the bees will consume the honey that they are carrying in their honey
guts. This is called a “dry swarm.” The swarm may even start to build comb on
their temporary structure. Once they do this, they then have a hive to defend,
and they defend their hive by stinging, adding excitement to gathering a swarm!
This year has been an exceptionally “swarmy” spring and
summer in the Mid-South. Regular rains brought about good nectar flows which
often contribute to brood nest congestion. Having the brood nest cells used by
the queen for egg laying filled with nectar stimulates the colony to swarm.
Today’s photo shows the comb built by a summertime swarm that settled
underneath an urban bee hive. The colony built combs and even raised brood
before abandoning the exposed combs. When the entire colony of bees flies away
from its nest, accompanied by the queen, we call it “absconding.” The beekeeper
was able to capture the absconding colony when it stopped nearby to rest, and
he hived the bees in a modern Langstroth hive with plenty of sugar syrup to
replenish the bees’ expended food stores. The colony has accepted its new home;
and with the help of the beekeeper, who will be supplying supplemental
feedings, the bees should be in good condition to survive the winter.
--Richard
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