# Can bees swarm in chilly weather?



## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I've caught a swarm in the mid 50's. More died than I care to admit as they couldn't fly well and it had been drizzling. Needless to say they were not amused and I got about a dozen stings. As soon as the weather gets decent 50+ calm and sunny they could swarm. The warmer the better the chance. I'd recommend doing a walk away split ASAP. It may work, but might not. Not much to lose if it doesn't.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Well, there have to be drones for getting the new queen mated and up here in the north we haven't approached anything like a flow, yet.

I just came inside from a visit to my beeyard and I noticed that my mentee's hive (a 2015 queen after a swarm last summer) had a lot of bees out despite the low 50s and drizzly conditions today. They were hanging out around the reduced lower entrance which they haven't used since last summer (as well as around the top entrance four boxes up they've been using all winter.) I think they are just feeling crowded and bored - which I know are prime swarm-intention prompts. 

I should get warm-enough temps a day or so earlier than NewBeeinNH so I am going to be into those boxes as soon as Thursday or Friday. Simply haven't had the weather for anything more than a peek down from the top, so far.

Since my winter insulation is still on, it's a big job just to pull the stacks away from each so I can inspect.

I have enough Snelgroves to slap on them in an emergency, but I'm hoping that I can just reverse and checkerboard them all by this weekend. That should settle their hash for a bit. 

Enj.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Then I guess bees can make wax at 60F? That's what stumped me. If they can do that for a swarm, then they're not fooling me, I'm putting some empty frames in there and letting them build some comb. 

Getting paranoid about the bees and their swarm prep this spring. The first sunny day and I'm removing the queen from that hive. (And putting her with some brood and a frame of honey in... hmm. The nucs aren't painted yet, so it will have to be in a medium.)

P.S. - Just saw your post, Enj. You and I are living in our running shoes I think, ready to pounce.

P.S.S. - If they're thinking of swarming, I'll bet we'll find drone comb in there.


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## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

I caught a swarm the other day and it was in the 50 s and cloudy.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

abscond may be a better term than swarm. check for high mite load.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

You'd think if they were thinking absconding, they wouldn't be wasting their time bringing in so much pollen tho. They are the winner of my hives for bringing in pollen so far, from what I observe, and the most traffic. Well, we'll see Wednesday, sunny and 54, like it or not, here I come.


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## tgrimrpr (Mar 11, 2015)

I'd get in and take a look through them this week when it's clear enough. I'm just down the road from you and two of my hives had capped and open queen cells this past weekend. I split them to hopefully fake a swarm. There was plenty of capped drone brood and drones hatching. There is wax drawing going on as well.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

a lot of times hives are going in more than one direction at a time. pretty early in the north for a real swarm.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Doesn't it have to be a certain temperature for the bees to make wax?

They will not be very motivated to make wax when it's cold. It is much harder work. But they can make it when it's cold if they have the resources.

>Surely they are not getting ready to swarm this chilly in the season? 
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#orientation

>They know they can't make wax until it's about 70F, right?
I can't say what a bee knows for sure, but I'm pretty sure they CAN make wax at lower temps, they just have t work very hard at it.


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

Our weather went from nice to cold, snow, winds, rain, 22 at night sometimes. The last inspection we did some opening the brood nest (at that time hotter than normal) some half frames, etc. Well the temperature took a nose dive within two days, good old polar vortex. 

Temperature, day, high 30- low 50, bouncing. We had a warmish day today, so did a quick look at our two robust hives. They had almost totally filled in the cut frames, made burr comb, drones on top of frames. They did not care it was darn cold. Not cranking out the wax making, but making it.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

Remember these bees have been cooped up for a while with this cold weather (close to 2 weeks worth). March had the queen laying like crazy with the above normal temps. Many of those March bees are just getting outside now.
Then there is cleansing flights that were few and far between since the beginning of April.

My yards today had large numbers of bees outside all at once. Like orientation flights but old bees pooping on everything circling around then flying off to forage. (normal bee droppings re color, location, smell) New bees pooping all over the place and studying the hive location, and then all of them, including those returning with big pollen loads, trying to
get back inside through smaller than summertime openings.
No drones flying yet.

Normal spring time activity following the crummy weather we've had for the last 2 weeks.
Looks like next week things break wide open according to the forecast. Be ready for
everything that has been held back- to pop, dandelions included.


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## jms86233 (Mar 18, 2015)

If they can't make wax when it cold how do they cap brood in February? I bet if I went in my hives right now there would be burr comb and it has been in the 30s since I checked last. They usually wait for warm weather but I'm sure it's possible they would swarm in cold weather and if they are planning on swarming there will be drones at least capped in the hive. Mine don't make cups until capped drones.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

bees also recycle existing wax.


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## johnbeejohn (Jun 30, 2013)

clyderoad is right there 
I went threw 15 or so hives today looking for potential breeders one is getting ready to swarm multiple swarm cells thinking it might just be a swarmy hive no other hives in yard are this early others have cups but are not using them


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Well, considering my bees seem to start brooding in the bitter cold of January and produce wax flakes to cap the brood. I don't think there's a minimum, just an ideal. Thousands of packages are being shaken in up this way right now, will they not start drawing wax when highs are 40 lows are 27?


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

tgrimrpr said:


> I'd get in and take a look through them this week when it's clear enough. I'm just down the road from you and two of my hives had capped and open queen cells this past weekend. I split them to hopefully fake a swarm. There was plenty of capped drone brood and drones hatching. There is wax drawing going on as well.


W.o.w. Are you in N. Haverhill? Because that's way up there, I'm down at the seacoast. If you already have queen cells I'm in big trouble. And wax building? In the 40s? Yikes.

I knew this was going to be a bad spring for early swarming, but wow.

About wax making, okay then. Same thing about hearing that bees can't fly under 50F. My bees were out flying at 40F the other day. I guess it's just general guidelines.

Come to think of it, also nix the old "don't go into your hives under 70F" rule. If they're going to up and swarm (not saying they will, but if) in 55F weather then I don't think popping the lid and exposing them at that temperature is going to kill them.

I take it bees do not live in a black and white world. Rulebreakers!


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## tgrimrpr (Mar 11, 2015)

NewbeeInNH said:


> W.o.w. Are you in N. Haverhill? Because that's way up there, I'm down at the seacoast. If you already have queen cells I'm in big trouble. And wax building? In the 40s? Yikes.
> 
> I knew this was going to be a bad spring for early swarming, but wow.
> 
> ...


No. I'm right next to you in Rockingham County. Don't know why Beesource shows No Haverhill.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Oh! That's good to know then. You're probably a tad south of me.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Update: Just got finished going thru 3 of the 5 hives, and have to say, no readiness for swarming. There were a few drone cells scattered here and there but no big drone comb yet. Brood in varying quantities depending on if the hive is a boomer or a late bloomer. I reversed the boxes and spread the frames out (checkerboarding) while I was in there, but I also put the insulation boards back on because it's still going to be in the 20s at night and I don't want the brood to get chilled. Couldn't find a single queen.

But the amazing thing was the vast quantity of capped honey in there, obviously left over from last fall. Granted, I did not take any honey last fall because I wanted to be sure they had enough. It looks like they barely munched all winter. I think they must've gone for the sugar bricks instead. My back is now killing me from heaving those honey boxes all over the place. I'm tempted to bring in frames and extract them, but I also plan to start 5 nucs in a couple weeks, so I may just leave the honey frames out there to put in the nucs.

2 more hives left to go if I live long enough.


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