In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> This is my third season beekeeping and I haven't had too much experience of swarming until this year. Following a long winter and a cold spring all four hives have tried to swarm - fine - I wanted to expand anyway. But colonies from one queen seem determined to swarm themselves out of existence. I would greatly appreciate any advice ...... In one apiary where there was a single hive, I made a split in early May when Queen cells appeared. (The Queen was from a reputable breeder and the hives were large with a mix of stores, drawn comb and foundation.) The virgin took a long time to mate and when she eventually did, a cluster of Queen cells were produced and she departed as soon as the first one was sealed. I await the mating of the second Queen - though curiously two larvae are currently occupying Queen cells and no other eggs or larvae are visible. In the hive with the original Queen, she swarmed when I wasn't looking and - surprise surprise - her daughter laid a few eggs and within a week Queen cells were produced and she duly departed. Both colonies are now low on bees and I await the despatch of new Queens I have ordered. But will I be safe in introducing a Queen to these bees? Who is leading the swarming impulse here? The new Queens or the bees? And if I didn't have new Queens coming, how could I stop these colonies swarming themselves into oblivion? Thanks for any help. Stephen Fleming Kingsclere, Hampshire, UK [log in to unmask]