Yesterday at midday, when I stopped to check my mail, I discovered honey bees swarming on the cluster of mailboxes. Bees are generally not looking for trouble and are not aggressive when swarming, so I was able to open my box and retrieve my mail.
Swarming
is how a colony reproduces, a process in which the entire society splits in
two.
The
triggers for swarming typically appear in the spring when the hive becomes
crowded and nectar is flowing. The workers feel congestion, rising heat, and an
recognize an abundance of resources. A sense that they are strong enough to
divide washes through the hive.
To
prepare for a new colony, the worker bees begin raising new queens by feeding
select larvae an all-royal jelly diet. At the same time, they slim down the
current queen by feeding her less, making her light enough to fly. Normally,
she’s a regal homebody, not a traveler.
On a
warm day, often in the late morning, the hive reaches a tipping point, and the
old queen leaves the hive, taking 30 to 70 percent of the workers with her.
They pour out in a thick cloud, then gather again nearby, usually forming a
hanging cluster.
Scout
bees then head out to find a new home, sometimes miles away. They return and
“dance” to argue their case, and through this democratic process, the swarm
eventually lifts off and relocates, with the old queen once again laying eggs
and producing a thriving colony.
Back
at the old hive, a new queen rises to resume normal activity there.
When
I drove past the mailbox array in the late evening, the gathering of bees was
gone.
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—Mitchell
Hegman
