> Same for swarming. Large colonies in large hives often do not swarm, small colonies in small hives often do.
Seeley would agree.
> Queens from crowded honey bee colonies which were preparing to swarm contained no less (E)-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid (queen substance) than similar-age queens from uncrowded colonies not preparing to swarm. This finding is not consistent with the hypothesis that the mechanism regulating queen rearing for colony reproduction is a drop in the production of queen substance.
Seeley, T., & Fell, R. (1981). Queen Substance Production in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies Preparing to Swarm (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 54(1), 192-196.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25084145?seq=1
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