First Bee Swarm of 2021

Honey bees are fascinating creatures...each year a hive of honeybees will swarm. WHat is a swarm? A hive of bees has one queen who lays all the eggs. When new queens are each spring one of the queens leaves the hive with as many as 30,000 of the bees in the hive to head out and on their own to form a new hive. Before leaving the hive the bees feed heavily on honey and are only thinking about establishing a new home. Most folks do not understand that when bees swarm they are docile and least likely to sting. In the middle of the swarm of bees is the queen, the bees are gathered around her as they seek their new hive. For us capturing a swarm of bees always marks the fact the spring is in full swing.

[@BrooklandsHoneyBees]

Nice video, great job :)

[@southdownfarm6323]

Thanks!

[@brianwashburn4917]

Cool! Just caught my first swarm 3 hours ago. Fun to watch for sure

[@southdownfarm6323]

Nice!!

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

Just caught my first swarm of the season the other day!

[@southdownfarm6323]

Way to go!! Nothing like the thrill of catching a swarm of bees!

[@johnboerema118]

I am curious why you are tapping the hive? Did they all go in?

[@southdownfarm6323]

It’s a trick that an old timer taught us saying it helps the bees enter the hive. old world bee keepers used to bang pots and pans when there was a swarm for the same reason. Once the queen is in the hive all the other bees will enter the hive. This swarm was successfully hived.