# Swarms Attracted to Existing Hives?



## ScienceGirl (Oct 24, 2014)

In your experience, are swarms attracted to existing hives/ to a beeyard?


I caught a swarm two days ago about 5 feet from the nearest of my two hives.
Currently, I'm not sure whether it came from one of my hives or from somewhere else. Both of my existing hives are quite populated. I inspected one and found no swarm cells.
Yesterday the newly housed swarm was doing orientation flights.
I do know that swarms are looking for empty housing, but I also know that they are attracted to the smell of propolis, wax, and other residual hive pheromones.


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

ScienceGirl said:


> In your experience, are swarms attracted to existing hives/ to a beeyard?


It is my belief that swarms are attracted to beeyards. I have had occasion where we inspected every hive during swarm season. After finishing, we noticed an average sized swarm had landed on a nearby pine tree. It was pretty cool.

Last year two of my beek friends had swarms move into deadouts/empty hives. One friend had this happen at two different locations.

Shane


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I would say yes, they are attracted to existing bee yards. They have flown into mine in the past anyway. I now live where there are never any swarms nearby unless they are my own, but where I used to live, swarms flew into empty boxes in my bee yard many years.


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## gezellig (Jun 11, 2014)

Do they always make a stop on an object when swarming after leaving the original hive or do they sometimes fly directly to the new home?


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## Eric Crosby (Jan 4, 2015)

They sometimes go directly to a new home.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Yes, I've gotten swarms that landed in empty hives in my backyard. The first time the box was empty and never had bees in it.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The are very attracted to empty hives that have been used. They will sometimes even take over a colony that is occupied...


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