The Seasonal Cycle of Swarming in Honeybees

Abstract

A six-year study of natural swarming in Ithaca, NY, USA, showed a bimodal distribution for date of swarm emergence, with a peak during the first two weeks in June and a lesser peak during the last week in August and the first week in September. The mean swarm size for 126 swarms was 1·53 kg (11 800 bees). The mean weight of 116 swarm queens was 195·9 mg; of mated queens 203·4 mg, and of virgin queens 185·0 mg. Data from 1976 suggest that a virgin or a young mated queen may accompany a prime swarm.