Author: CCBA
Bees swarm primarily as a natural part of their reproductive process and colony expansion. Here’s why it happens:
When a honeybee colony grows too large or conditions become crowded, the bees prepare to split into two groups. The existing queen lays eggs to produce a new queen, and once those eggs are developing, she leaves the hive with about half the worker bees—typically 20,000 to 80,000 individuals—forming a swarm. This group departs to find a new home, while the remaining bees stay behind with the new queen to continue the original colony.
Swarming is triggered by several factors:
- **Overcrowding**: Too many bees or limited space in the hive prompts the colony to divide.
- **Resource abundance**: A strong nectar flow or plentiful food can signal the colony is healthy enough to split.
- **Seasonal timing**: Swarming often occurs in spring or early summer when conditions favor survival of both the old and new colonies.
- **Queen pheromones**: As a queen ages, her pheromone output weakens, which can encourage the colony to rear a replacement and swarm.
Once they leave, the swarm clusters temporarily—often on a tree branch or structure—while scout bees search for a suitable new nest site, like a hollow tree or cavity. They communicate potential locations through the waggle dance, and the swarm collectively decides on the best spot before moving in.
It’s a survival strategy: one colony becomes two, spreading their genes and reducing the risk of collapse from overcrowding. Beekeepers often try to prevent or capture swarms to maintain their hives, but in the wild, it’s just bees doing what they’ve evolved to do.
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