# Swarm Story - YOU GOTTA READ THIS!!!



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Sometimes it's just hard to figure out why they do some things. I've had similar experiences as yours quite a few times, and I did just like you, make more splits!


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Bank them so workers can feed them.


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

Years ago I opened a hive and caught 6 virgin queens in it.That was the first and only time I ever have seen more than one queen in a hive.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

You have a hive that would have swarmed itself to death had you not caught it. 

If the virgin is with q cells she will swarm again, and most likely that split will be to small to make it. 
Mark your calendar and keep any eye out for mated queens, recombine the ones that don't get mated.

I don't need anymore splits, so when I find swarm cells if I can I remove the queen and a few frames, then a four days later I remove all but one cell, this make a very crowded hive especially what all the brood hatches, no spare queen to swarm with. they will draw and fill a deep real quick.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

FlowerPlanter said:


> You have a hive that would have swarmed itself to death had you not caught it.
> 
> If the virgin is with q cells she will swarm again, and most likely that split will be to small to make it.
> Mark your calendar and keep any eye out for mated queens, recombine the ones that don't get mated.
> ...


Will they sense that they don't have a queen cell in reserve though? I've been worried that they'll swarm with the virgin they already have running around and then be SOL because they have no larva to raise a queen from and no queen waiting in a cell.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

Many hives that leave a lot of queen cells behind will swarm multiple times. Especially if the new queen lays more eggs before she leaves. Or if queen cell maturity is staggered. You did the right thing, making splits. I had a hive years ago that was so swarmy the splits (daughter queens) would swarm. That line of bees was basically good only for making splits and requeening.


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