# Reasons to NOT let your bees swarm



## JYawn (Dec 6, 2011)

This is not even close to an actual concern of mine yet, as I haven't even recieved my first package of bees yet, but just out of curiosity what are any reason to NOT let your bees swarm.... other than the obvious loss of a portion of your colony?

The reason I am curious about this is that I live in a subdivision with houses on all sides except behind me. I have a HUGE field behind my house but houses on all other sides. They are not crowded together. Each piece of property is approx. an acre or more. I'm just afraid of eventually having too many bees if I were to succeed through this winter and then split next spring or recapture a swarm to keep. 

Either way, just curious if there are any reasons other than the loss of bees that I'm unaware of.


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

My understanding is that's the big reason. If your hives swarm you can potentially lose your honey crop for that year. If you are keeping bees just to have then it is not as a big of a concern for us in AHB areas keeping the girls from swarming also let's us keep the queens of known genetics from flying off and their daughters could potentially not be as productive or the hive can become aggressive.


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## tsk (Nov 26, 2010)

Aside from things already mentioned you risk peeving your neighbors (are these your bees in a giant cluster on our front door?).


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## Beregondo (Jun 21, 2011)

1) Loss of Bee population

2)Loss of their production

3) Scared neighbors in town/neighbor relations

On the positive side:
You help populate the area around you with swarms, and more of the drones will have genetic that ( I assume) you want (since you bought them once).


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

One serious issue with swarming is that some of your swarms will surely become a nuisance to your neighbors. They will move into the wall of a house or garage or pick a hollow tree with an entrance right next to a sidewalk. As a responsible beekeeper and good neighbor it is, in my opinion, your obligation to do your best to avoid swarming. This holds true for both urban and rural beekeepers.....again in my opinion.


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## deejaycee (Apr 30, 2008)

beemandan said:


> As a responsible beekeeper and good neighbor it is, in my opinion, your obligation to do your best to avoid swarming. This holds true for both urban and rural beekeepers.....again in my opinion.


Couldn't agree more. 

Aside from other reasons covered, there's simply the fact that swarming may lose you the bees altogether. 

Firstly, because those neighbours get so peeved they make it impossible for you to keep bees (it may not take much unless you have good relationships with all of them).

But secondly, and this is one that often takes newbees by surprise... the bees often don't stop at one swarm. They can sometimes keep going producing after swarms until the original hive is left so depleted it dies out. 

The bees don't care - they're playing a purely numbers game that has nothing to do with whether you get to keep bees or not. If two swarms survive they've won the swarming gamble by increasing their hive numbers, regardless of whether any of them are living in your hive.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sometimes you lose more than just a portion. Sometimes they get the "swarm fever" and swarm the colony to death with afterswarms.

Another downside is if you don't have surviving local genetics you are watering down the genetics of the survivors with queens that don't come from your area and can only survive when treated. This is not a plus. The ferals are doing fine without your help and may not do so fine with it.

Not getting honey isn't exactly a plus either...

About the only upside I see is that IF you catch it a swarm is one of the most exciting things you'll ever experience.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm


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## quevernick (Feb 22, 2011)

Something else to consider especially if your keeping bees in a suburban or residential area is that they bees may decide to take up residence in someones house.


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## Nantom670 (Jul 29, 2011)

If you don't already know it, you need to register your bee hive with the state. go to this site, download form.
http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/regulatory/apiaryregistration.shtml
no one will come by, but it will protect you legally if you register. They will also ask on the form for your longitude and latitude and if you don't know that, just run a search and ask how to find your longitude and latitude and several will come up. Enjoy your bees. http://www.tnbeekeepers.org/ this site will let you find the closes beekeeping club near you. May be the one in Chattanooga.


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## JYawn (Dec 6, 2011)

Nantom670 said:


> If you don't already know it, you need to register your bee hive with the state. go to this site, download form.
> http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/regulatory/apiaryregistration.shtml



In the research I have done over the past months I have found this info. I haven't filled it out just yet simply b/c it will be a good month and a half before I actually get the bees.

I love the feedback I'm getting on this topic. Thanks for the great replies.


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## quevernick (Feb 22, 2011)

You have 30 days to register your hives in TN so I would wait til you get your bees to register. But I'm a big procrastinator


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## SteveBee (Jul 15, 2010)

Not trying to change the subject, but did you Tennessee guys see Mike Studer's letter concerning foulbrood? It not, contact me and I'll send it to you. You can contact me by going to our website and clicking on my picture at the bottom.


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