Swarms

Spring

Things really start to heat up in September in the Latrobe Valley and this is when early swarms start to appear. Bees will continue to swarm all the way through Summer but September/October are the main months.

 

Swarms are a great way to increase your number of bees and one very important thing to note is that the bees will be acclimatised and bred for our local conditions in this unique part of the World. Having said that you might want to re-queen the colony with a queen of known genetics sometime after the swarm settles in especially if the colony show consistent signs of aggressive behaviour.

 

Fun and very satisfying

Probably not for the complete novice but if you can get along to a swarm collection it is a great learning exercise to witness the relocation of swarms.

What to do if you see one?

Report it on our Facebook page here Latrobe Valley Beekeepers Facebook if you can as this will get the most attention. Swarms don’t hang around for long and quick action is needed. Some members travel to work with a full swarm capture set up in their car ready to pounce at the last minute so in some cases it is first in first served. If you can take a photo of the swarm and include it in your post that would help.