# Will a very new hive likely swarm?



## JYawn (Dec 6, 2011)

I just found out last weekend that I have a neighbor that keeps bees (YES!!!). He has kept bees for years and currently has 4 hives.

He is pretty wealthy and owns this HUGE field that he uses as his own personal airport out here in the country part of our county. His home and hives are also located in this big field. I live in a subdivision right up next to his field. Just met his wife last weekend and told her about my soon to be bees and that is when I found out about him beeing a beek also.

Anyway, she just explained to me that all of his bees died off last winter and he just recently installed some new packages in all of his hives several weeks ago... possibly up to a month ago.

I have a swarm trap out in on of my trees already. I had it out prior to even knowing if there were any colonies close by. I'm pretty excited to know that I'm in very close vacinity of 4 colonies now.

My questions is, how likely is it for a first year hive to swarm? if it is likely at all I think my odds are a little bit better due to him having 4 of them.


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## Beev (Jul 16, 2011)

It's possible for them to swarm but not likely. They may not like their new home and abscond, or he may overfeed and they could backfill the broodnest and swarm, or....or... You get the point.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

First year hives will swarm, believe me. It all depends on how fast they build up and clog the brood nest. During a casual conversation ask if the queens are marked. That way, later this year you might get a swarm with a marked queen! 

You could do what Odfrank does to his neighbors and covertly feed them so they stuff all that syrup in the brood nest and swarm. He has traps surrounding every know apiary in the Bay Area.


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## JYawn (Dec 6, 2011)

Charlie B said:


> You could do what Odfrank does to his neighbors and covertly feed them so they stuff all that syrup in the brood nest and swarm. He has traps surrounding every know apiary in the Bay Area.


Would that actually work? LOL, not that I plan on trying to screw my neighbor out of his bees but I would have never even thought about someone doing that.


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## MiddleofMae (Mar 1, 2012)

Last year was my first year with bees, and one of the hives swarmed after 2 months! It was a booming hive, and being a new beekeeper, I didn't recognize that I needed to be split! My neighbors, who witnessed the swarm, were thrilled and told me it was the most exciting thing that had happened in the neighborhood since another neighbor's house burned down.


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## mrqb (Jul 17, 2011)

i believe charlie B. because i know its true.enough said


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Charlie B said:


> You could do what Odfrank does to his neighbors and covertly feed them so they stuff all that syrup in the brood nest and swarm. He has traps surrounding every know apiary in the Bay Area.


Charlie knows well enough that I am far to cheap to feed my neighbor's bees. Last year I caught two swarms that swarmed again after six weeks.


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