A queen honeybee is really quite an extraordinary creature. She can live up to 6 years old (although most beekeepers replace their queens after 2-3 seasons). When she lays an egg, she has the ability to either fertilize or not fertilize it, determining the sex of the developing bee (fertilized eggs become female worker bees, unfertilized become male drones). At the height of the season the queen lays 1,500 eggs per day.
She instinctively monitors the state of the hive and will initiate swarming when her hive starts to become crowded. Swarming is when an original queen departs her hive with about 50% of the colony’s bees to find a new suitable home. To ensure the continuation of her original colony, she leaves behind several developing queen bees, one of which will become the new queen and will carry on in her place. Swarming is how hives reproduce naturally and is completely dictated by queen bees.
During winter months, the queen honeybee slows down and stops laying eggs. The bees hatched in late August through October make up the winter population that will keep the queen warm (~ 96°) so that she may live through the winter and emerge again in the spring to continue her role as queen of the colony. Keep watching our beekeeping blog to learn more!
If you put out a bee home will wild bees 🐝 find it and possibly start a hive in it ? I know it’s not the proper way but I’m pretty sure it Could happen though right ?
Just wanted to get a honest answer. Thank you.
Hi, Joel.
Sure, providing a nice, dark, dry beehive for swarming bees (feral or from a local beekeepers hive) is ok. Especially if it is a standard Langstroth hive (super beekeeper-friendly type of a hive). However, it is not a guarantee that a honeybee colony that is swarming would find it, so to count on it as a way to start beekeeping would likely be a disappointment. Also, you would have to be careful other critters wouldn’t move in…mice, hornets, wasps, etc. I know many experienced beekeepers, including myself, keep extra hives available in storage in case they receive a call or notice about a swarm of bees. Swarms are actually pretty easy to capture and then add to an existing bee yard as an additional hive. But if you really want to start beekeeping I advise you look into getting all the required equipment and tools and getting a package of bees ordered soon (like very soon! Packages are beginning to sell out across the country).