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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 23 Nov 1998 13:30:12 GMT+0200
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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
 
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