So what is a Bee Swarm anyway?

A honey bee swarm is a huge mass of bees, with a queen bee in the center. It is one method by which new bee hives form.

Under certain conditions, the bees in the hive decide it is time to leave their home and search for a new one. Sometimes this is because something is wrong with their current home – other times they just feel like moving on, I guess.

A bee hive has only one queen. When they decide to swarm, they begin the process of creating another queen to rule the hive they are leaving. Then the bees that are leaving fill their tummies with honey, and the old queen takes off, followed by the majority of the bees in the hive. The bees that stay behind will raise the new queen, and hopefully will build their numbers back up enough to survive in the old hive.

Looking for a new home

The old queen flies away, sometimes only a short distance, sometimes a long ways, and eventually sets down somewhere – a tree branch, the eaves of your house, a clothes line, who knows?  Wherever she decides to land, the rest of the bees cluster around her in a tight mass, to protect her from harm and from the elements. This mass of bees is usually tens of thousands of bees strong, and is quite impressive! The swarm then usually stays put, with the majority of the bees staying in the tight ball surrounding the queen. A smaller number of scouts, however, will venture out in search of a new place to start a hive.  If the scouts locate a suitable spot – a hollow tree, a crack in a cliff, hopefully not your attic – they swarm will move in and make it their new home.

This is a desperate time for the bees – they are very exposed, and have only the honey in their stomachs to live on. If they don’t find a suitable new home quickly, they could perish.