Jamie Banuski <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>that there are huge clumps or piles
> of bees on the front face of the bottom hive body, all just hanging on to
> one another....
>I suspect they are considering a swarm (please don't say it isn't so; it's
>their first year here).


I can only speak to my own experience:  earlier this week one of my hives
(2) that were suffering from the neglect of my being away for two or three
weeks, had clusters of bees hanging around the front door.  On Wednesday,
around 11 am, a swarm took off and landed on a nearby tree.  (They always
seem to fly late morning on sunny days.)  We shook them down into a medium
hive body that had one empty drawn frame of comb and 8 new foundation
frames, then moved 'em onto their own stand near the two original hives.

Our plan is to let 'em draw out some comb, and wait for the hive they left
to bring out their new queen.  Then, we plan to execute the swarm queen and
add the swarm workers and their medium hive body onto the hive they
originally left.

My thinking is that while there's still plenty of wildflowers for them to
work, there probably is not enough time for them to develop into a colony
strong enough to survive the New Hampshire winter.  Since my equipment is
limited, I think I'll do better having 2 strong hives than 3 weaker ones.

Are your bees planning to swarm?  Possibly.  Watch 'em mid day.  Can you
stop 'em?  Possibly.  Check through your hives for queen cells and eradicate
'em.  This may work.  Make sure the queen has enough room for brood.
Sometimes, she'll get trapped on the lower frames by too broad a band of
honey.  Then, feeling crowded, she'll leave.  Perhaps you can add an empty
hive body (with frames, of course, just nothing in the frames besides comb
or foundation) directly above the hive body that holds the queen.

-- Amee Abel

Abel's Apiaries
"Happy Hive Making Wholesome Honey"