Colony Behavioural Patterns
The Arrival of a Swarm
One of the most eagerly anticipated moments as a bee host is the arrival of a swarm. A correctly scented and positioned nest has as high as a 90% chance of being populated during its first season. However, when dealing with the wonders of nature, nothing is a certainty and always expect the unexpected.
The First Signs
In the UK swarming typically takes place between the months of April to July. It is very easy to assume that the sight of a handful of bees around the hive entrance means that a swarm has sneaked in unnoticed. More often than not they are scout bees scoping out the tree hive as a potential new home. We witnessed this activity days before a swarm actually arrived.​
One can get an idea that they are scout bees by their behaviour. They fly around the hive in an inquisitive manner, hovering, darting here and there, in and out of the entrance, as they assess the potential good home.
The Arrival
The arrival of the swarm is a spectacular event, one which can be a bit intimidating to the uninitiated. A mass of bees, sometimes described as a 'buzzing black cloud' descends onto their new home in spectacular fashion but within 45 minutes it can have all calmed down, with most of the bees having made their way into the hive to start building their new nest.