Swarming of Bees Swarming is done by numerous animals and some plants, but in English we use special words to describe it. Horses, cattle and sheep frequently run together as a herd or a flock; fish swim together as a shoal or a school; some plants move through the sea together as a bloom and some flying insects swarm in the same way in the air. Bees swarm when a colony or part of a colony has to find a new nest. Normally, the swarm will fly to a location very close to the old nest and huddle together while the most knowledgeable worker bees go off to look for a fitting nesting site. There may be as many as 50 of these scouts and they may fly up to a kilometre to find a good spot. The scouts will probably take into account the potential size of nest that can be built there, because it has to provide shelter for the current number of bees plus any eggs and newborn that will inevitably come. They almost certainly also concern themselves with the availability of a not-too distant food source and shelter from predators, as there are birds and some insects that eat bees and others that might steal their honey. The swarm will wait for the scouts to come back. As they come back, usually one at a time, they perform a little dance to explain what they have discovered and where it is. The hive can probably judge how believable the suggested new site is by the zeal displayed in the dance. All the bees watch the dances and an especially fervent scout may persuade another scout to go with her to reconnoitre her find. They may visit a number of finds several times, but sooner or later the scouts will settle for one of the sites and report back to the swarm. The sight of up to 50 scouts all dancing enthusiastically about the best of the new locations is sufficient to enthuse the swarm and it will take off and follow the scouts to its new home. Naturally, beekeepers do not want to lose their swarms or part of them each year, so they place luxury dwellings close by to attract the bees into. If that does not work, the bee-keeper has to buy a new swarm or swarms, something that is becoming increasingly a problem to do. Beekeepers wishing to attract a new wild swarm often use a pheromone to attract the scouts to the new hives that they have set up near existing hives close to an ample source of trees, wild flowers or bushes. If bees decide on a new site in or about your home, your first thoughts should not be to destroy it. Bees seldom attack unless they feel threatened, so if the hive is far from the house, you could leave it there. However, if they start building in your attic, they may cause some structural harm, besides being a nuisance. If this is the case, phone the local environmental health agency or a local beekeeper to remove it for you.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on a number of subjects, but is currently involved with how to get rid of pests. If you would like to know more, visit our website at Bugs Infestation.