In a message dated 96-06-07 07:12:50 EDT, Laura Downey, Anne Arundel County,
Maryland, USA writes:
>Regarding secondary swarms, when it occurs, do the bees leave to join the
>original swarm, or do they take the remaining queen with them, thereby
>leaving the hive in a queenless state?
Generally they leave with a virgin queen (or two or three - they don't
seem as prone to fight until swarming is over) I checked an afterswarm
today, that I found a couple weeks ago in a stack of supers. They were
queenless, so the virgin apparently didn't get mated.
I have seen swarms merge when both are on the same branch at the same
time, but I would doubt that any swarm will join with an established colony.
Afterswarms here have a high mortality rate. They are small, and the
spring flow, being over, a lot starve. Others lose out in the mating. In
other areas where there may be a good flow, they may come on just fine.
A higher percentage of our late nucs are queenless than usual. We also
have an abundance of dragonflies this year, so that may account.
[log in to unmask] Dave Green, PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC
29554
Practical Pollination Home Page Dave & Janice Green
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
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