# Summer Solstice and swarm??



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Well, clearly the swarm season down south is largely over.
It has been done for weeks and months.
Just some follow-ups and absconds and such left.

The summer solstice, on the other hand, is here and now (still pretty much is).

So that is your answer right there.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Mike, our swarm season here in Virginia runs largely from April 1st through mid June. In other words, our prime season is a month past and any swarms now are more unusual but not rare.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

I would only add, as posited here on this forum before that there does appear to be a correlation between Growing-Degree-Days and swarming activity such that if you were looking for a metric to forecast when you might expect swarms year-over-year this might be one of the more reliable ways to do so.


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## mhorowit (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks all - Mike


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

In the Bee Forum section there is a subsection "Post Your Swarm Dates". 

It is organized by state. Find your state & skim it. That will give you a general idea about swarms for your location.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

With my hives there seems to be a direct correlation between putting my luggage in my trunk and pulling out of the driveway to go on vacation and them deciding its time to bug out. J


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

My idea of vacation is putting my *wife's* luggage in the car and me staying home to play with the bees. Seriously, you need to get your priorities in order.

But back to the solstice, now is the time to be making queens for next year's production hives. There is a strong belief that queens mated after the summer soltice will be the best producers. I read it on the internet so I know it is true.


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## mhorowit (Sep 25, 2011)

Steve in PA said:


> In the Bee Forum section there is a subsection "Post Your Swarm Dates".
> 
> It is organized by state. Find your state & skim it. That will give you a general idea about swarms for your location.


Oh, thanks! - Mike


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## mhorowit (Sep 25, 2011)

JWPalmer said:


> My idea of vacation is putting my *wife's* luggage in the car and me staying home to play with the bees. Seriously, you need to get your priorities in order.
> 
> But back to the solstice, now is the time to be making queens for next year's production hives. There is a strong belief that queens mated after the summer soltice will be the best producers. I read it on the internet so I know it is true.


JW - you pose an interest logistics question. For each queen to be raised, you need supporting resources at least temporarily. To keep her going, she needs to have a hive. As I understand your statement, you are going to need a hive (or a hive in sections) per queen. A nuc per queen would be too small . Correct? - Mike


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## e-spice (Sep 21, 2013)

[SUP][/SUP]


Fivej said:


> With my hives there seems to be a direct correlation between putting my luggage in my trunk and pulling out of the driveway to go on vacation and them deciding its time to bug out. J


I got a good laugh out of that.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

A nuc is the perfect size to raise your queens that will be over wintered and then hived next spring. I over wintered nine nucs and and all survived. I let one starve in late March, beekeeper error, because they diid not have enough stores for spring build up.


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