Hi John/All John, you mentioned how you were slightly confused about the number of big africanized swarms you get in fall, and also whether they were absconding or not. Also mentioned you saw swarming before the stores in the afro hives had run out. There are a number of things here - I know some of my colonies will swarm at the end of a flow - when the pollen sources dry up, just before the bees turf the drones. I think this may be a way of circumventing an unpredictable climate. Send out the queen, who has burnt out and get a new one that may have to last through a long drought. In africa winters are not too cold. Contrary to polular belief however scutellata can survive long cold periods (such as those in Sutherland - although hybrid scut/capensis I think, they handle -20C for sometimes quite long times). When spring comes there may be many flowers, or there may not. Either way it will be warm. So you don't need a big spring starting cluster - hence sending of a swarm which may hit it lucky or may not is quite a good plan for the bees as they then can survive a long time on the ammassed resources. Check those swarms - many probably don't even have queens. It is not uncommon for a capensis colony to swarm queenless. Big swarms also often happen by amalgamation - both capensis and scutellata are known to send out queen less swarms that will amalagamate with other swarms and may eventually join another colony. Some strains of scutellata are good drone layers - the workers will raise tons of drone brood above the super in spring. This may be why. On the whole though one is just seeing the effects of a bee which can afford that much more extravagance in that it can get just that much more distance per unit of honey. It's sort of like comparing somebody who earns 20 000 units and drives a car which uses 10 000 units in fuel and 10 000 units on education of two kids a year to somebody who earns 20 000 units and drives a Fiat Uno which uses 2000 units a year. The second driver can afford to raise a certain number more kids and can risk more with them - because they produce some at good times and some at bad times. Quite interesting though. Keep well Garth Garth Cambray Camdini Apiaries 15 Park Road Grahamstown Apis mellifera capensis 6139 South Africa Time = Honey The Universe is not here right now, if you would like to leave a message, leave your name and number after the long silence and it will get back to you as soon as possible.