The most common months of the year for honey bees to swarm are May to July.
Contrary to popular belief, when bees swarm, they are not agitated. In fact, the truth is the complete opposite to this. When bees swarm, this is the time when they are at their most docile. The reason being is that they will leave the security of the hive, as the hive will have become over populated because the colony will have become too large for the hive. They will do this by instinct, as a natural way of reproduction, thus making two colonies from one. The bees would have known for some time that they would be due to swarm and will have waited for a warm, sunny day in which to leave. This will usually be in the hottest part of the day, around midday. They do not like to fly in the rain, cold or windy weather.
They would also have brought on a new Queen, which would take the hive over, with the few bees that remain in the hive, in order to repopulate after the swarm has left. The swarm will be led by the old Queen.
Prior to leaving the hive, the bees would have engorged themselves with as much honey from the honey stores as they could possibly carry. For this reason, they will be very docile and will be too full to become aggressive.
The swarm will often settle (cluster) in a tree, on a fence, or somewhere in close proximity to the old hive. They will stay there until one of the "Scouts" informs them that a suitable new home has been found. If they do not succeed in finding an alternative, suitable home, within the next 24-hours or so, then the cluster will start to consume their honey stores, in order to survive and keep warm. This is the time when they can become aggressive.
It is the "Swarm Collectors" job to catch the swarm prior to them moving onto a new home.
If you find a swarm near you, please contact the Ashford Club Swarm Collectors as below:-
Andy Bithell: 01233 640156 or Jason Lonton: 07770 347058
