Hello,
 
I have a couple of questions about bee behavior.  I just can't find
answers to these questions.  MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE.
 
1.  I have provided two 9 5/8 brood chambers for my hives.  Each chamber
has 10 frames.  They also have a queen excluder separating the supers.
I  have at least one 9 5/8  super on each hive.   My fist nuc I picked
up April 25 has two supers.  One completely full of honey.  For the past
three or four days in the late afternoon many bees will come out and fly
around the landing board (4 or 5 p.m.)  Many more are flying around in
circles above the hives.  Each hive has plenty of room (one full super
to draw).  I can only think of two possibilities.  I am sure there are
more but I am very limited in my knowledge.  One, they want to swarm.
Two, new bees are getting themselves aquatinted with the surroundings as
they prepare to become field bees (there is pollen coming into all the
hives).
 
One of the hives has already swarmed about a month ago and I did not
have room for another hive so I put the swarm back with the hive.  They
have been doing well.
 
2.  Is it the worker bees that decide if the colony is to swarm ?   If
this is true, once the workers begin to make queen cells how is the
information communicated to the resident queen that its time for her to
leave.
 
3.  If a hive swarms and the brood chambers are packed with honey but
above the queen excluder there is plenty of space will they move the
honey up into the supers to provide room for the queen to lay.  Will she
lay in comb where bees have already emerged?
 
4.  I know that there are many VARIABLES to my next question.  I am
looking at starting a small honey business.  I am wondering how much
money is made for every hive in the field.  I am looking for just an
approximation.
 
Thanks for all your help.  I enjoy reading the beelist.
 
Rich
Utah,  Zone 5