Noobie questions about swarming and taking honey

Beekeeping - Basics
1

Hey all,
I want to get into beekeeping, I have ordered a flow hive classic and I have been learning as much as I can. I do have a few questions still and I’m sure I will have more.

  1. Will bees always swarm at least once a year?
  2. As of now, I only want one hive, so what are ways I can make sure they don’t swarm? How can I make sure they have enough space? Is there any way to do that without buying another brood box? I have been reading up on the Demaree method, just seeing if there are any alternatives.
  3. How much honey can I take? I will have one brood box and one flow super, so is the super all for me, or towards the cooler months, I should leave some for them, I have also heard to take the super off in the winter so it doesn’t crystalize, if anyone has a specific temperature to take it off at or a specific date that would help.
    Those are my main questions now, any tips, tricks, info would also be greatly appreciated!
    I should have my location up, but it is Raleigh, North Carolina in case you cannot view it.

Thanks,
Andrew!

2

Welcome Andrew - here are some general answers to get you started:

Bees will swarm as many times as they can when they’re healthy during an abundant nectar flow. We do our best to manage this natural reproductive behavior but even experienced beeks can miss the window. The reality is that sooner or later, you will need extra equipment. Flow kits are pricey but regular Langstroth gear is widely available and much more affordable, so look for suppliers near you or use mail order folks. There might be beeks out there who never expand their apiary but at some point they have to offload extra bees to someone else to do this. My apiary floats somewhere between four and six hives, with temporary expansions due to splits that I sell and/or eventually recombine. If you get a package this year, it’s very unlikely to build up enough to swarm this season however. A nucleus colony or nuc is another story - a nuc is 5 frames of everything in a functional colony, that is ready to expand and will do that like lightning in a good nectar flow. A nuc started in a good season can definitely build to swarming level in a few weeks.

Regarding the super - like your swarming questions, much depends on the context at hand so there is no one-size answer about how much honey you can take. Back to how you start the colony, if it’s with a package, in NC and most of the US, you will be lucky if the bees fill the brood box to the point of being ready for the super within a typical nectar flow period. When we’re talking about a Flow super, the bees then have to wax up the cells to seal and extend them to be ready for nectar deposits. Wax requires abundant nectar, and bees switch gears to get ready for winter at the first sign of a waning flow. Some people run single deeps that they successfully overwinter by insulating the hive and feeding the bees in cold months. I would never advise leaving the Flow super on in any region where nights can get below 50F - not just because of the chance of crystallization, but more importantly because -

a) leaving the queen excluder on risks her death when the rest of the cluster moves up to get to the honey, but

b) taking it off risks allowing her to lay in the Flow frames which is a big cleanup headache.

So, Fsupers need to come off in late summer or early fall, with any remaining honey harvested out before storage in a cool dry place and sealed off from pests. The amount of honey needed in a hive to overwinter a colony depends on many factors, like the population size, the length of time before there is forage again, and how cold it gets.

My best advice to you is to take a class, keep reading here, and watch videos by experienced beeks who want to share their knowledge, not sensationalize. Our very own @JeffH is one of the finest examples and has loads of wonderful videos as well as posts on this forum to learn from. @Dawn_SD is another gold mine whose posts always enlighten and encourage. And there are many more helpful, friendly members here whose input will be invaluable!

Let us know when you get your bees and how it’s going! :blush::honeybee:

4 Likes
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Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum and more importantly the interest with Beekeeping.

My personal experience is that I was in your position during late 2023. At that time I had purchased my flow hive and like yourself I only had intentions for a single colony.

You may have your reasons for only one Hive, maybe its spacial concerns, overall costs or merely a personal preference.

Through my own research i found the benifits for a second hive were not only a cost saving measure but a smart way to protect the colony from a potential callapse. If you only have a single colony thats dangerously low on brood and food stores, then it could be costly saving the colony with having to source 3rd party assistance.

A second hive is a good insurance policy because you can utilise the resources of one hive to suppliment the requirements of the weaker hive.

If you have a hive that swarms then you can just slot in a frame of capped brood and also a frame of resources. Within a fortnight population numbers should be healthier and alot more sustainable. You may need to continually suppliment thier stores, if so Sugar water feeding may be required. - (Consultation with a mentor is highly advised throughout this time period).

Space is a crucial commodity in the hive, if the queen feels she cannot lay sufficient brood then this is a major contributor to a colonies swarming instincts. Reference materials state that once the worker class make a concensus to swarm then the colony commits to this and make preperations lasting beyond a month to ultimatly naturally split. You will find through your inspections that the queen will be producing alot of drone brood This is a significant early marker for swarming, informing you that the colony overall feels its doing incredibly well. Resource wise the colony feels it can spare resources to place efforts into spreading its genetics. Which with all colonies is a primary goal given conditions are favourable enough. Its during this period of time of sighting large numbers of drone brood that beekeepers are highly advised to be vigilant within the coming weeks. Maybe Queen “swarm cells” will be observed and maybe not. If it is the case swarm cells will be observed at the bottom of the frame, typically in high numbers. As a Beekeeper its safer to try and anticipate the hives goal rather than react after they have flown away. So this is why splitting the hive is a prudent measure in saving the resources in your apiary.

Learn the difference between swarm cells, supercedure and Emergency Queen cells. Each typically has its own requirments that the Beekeeper must employ given the circumstance.

Honey harvesting and the typical amount to be harvested has no strict rule that you can employ everywhere. You need to consider you local climate and current resource (pollen/Nectar) yields. With just starting out with the interest you will need to consult with a local Beekeeper in your region, the Beekeeper you source your Bees from is perfect for this. You could also consider mentorship from them which is a consideration that I strongly recommend.

I hope this info helps you on your pathway in the beekeeping interest.