I suspect that Marcia Sinclair is unlucky in that she is landed with bees
which have a highly developed urge to procreate. If it is any consolation
she is not alone with her problems.  Bees here have behaved most erratically
this season. Without man's intervention swarming is their only means of
survival.  When the urge is strong all the usual dodges, splitting the
brood, adding foundation, piling on the supers, splitting the stock will not
stop them.  However, there is no doubt that the strength of the swarming
instinct varies widely in different strains.  It can be minimised by
selective breeding from stocks showing reluctance to swarm.  Many beekeepers
depend on swarms and swarm cells for increase and thus perpetuate the
swarming strains.
Swarming can largely be prevented and ever since Langstroth introduced us to
moveable combs numerous beekeepers have come up with their pet methods of
swarm control.  Only a regular routine check will reveal the presence of
queen cells with the intention to swarm and action must be taken if you want
to keep your bees.  Merely cutting out the cells is not the answer and
clipped queens only give  the beekeeper a few more days to make preparations.
Books tell us that the cells are capped on the tenth day, after which the
swarm will depart.  Thus a nine-day check will allow preventive action.
That works for most bees but some have a nasty habit of ignoring our rules
and leaving early.  This has been most noticeable here this season when many
swarms have left on the fifth or sixth day, making a mockery of eight or
nine day checks.
We have had a crazy season, weatherwise.  Normally I would expect some 10%
of my bees to make preparations to swarm.  This year it has been 70% and
this from bees that I regard as non-swarmers.  We can only attribute it to
the weather.  May  was the coldest for over fifty years.  Bees refused to
enter the supers and still insisted on swarming on the occasional sunny day,
oblivious to the fact that the next sunny day was a week away and there was
little nectar available.  On the last day of May the weather changed and we
entered the hottest and sunniest June for over fifty years.  Now, 3-4 weeks
later, nuclei are expanding at a fast rate and main stocks are demanding
four or five supers.                                  Sid P.
_________________________________________________________________
Sid Pullinger                    Email :  [log in to unmask]
36, Grange Rd                Compuserve:  [log in to unmask]
Alresford
Hants SO24 9HF
England