Help OSU Honey Bee Lab Study Honey Bee Swarms

Opportunity to understand honey bee swarm biology via participatory research / citizen science

Honey bee swarms are fascinating. Have you ever wondered what percentage of worker bees leave the parental hive during a swarm? You have probably read in bee books or a couple of journal articles that about 50% of the worker bees will swarm along with the old queen to establish a new nest. One study published in 2012 (Rangel and Seeley, Insectes Sociaux 59, 453-462), suggests that 75% of worker bees leave in a swarm. The percentage of worker bees leaving in a swarm could vary depending on the time of the year (April, May, June or July) and a few other factors. We (OSU Honey Bee Lab) are interested in exploring this interesting and not so well understood aspect of swarm biology with the help of citizen scientists (our passionate beekeepers) by examining as many swarms as possible. If you would like to be a part of this research either this year or next year (2022), then please read the study process below.

Study process / method: If you witness a low hanging swarm that can be easily accessed and captured without any risk / hazard, and you also know for sure the source of that swarm (parental hive), then you can be a part of this study. Once the swarm is settled on a branch or other substrate, that swarm needs to be hived carefully in a single-story hive with eight or ten frames (frames can be empty or with some honey and pollen). Then the worker bee population should be estimated in both the captured swarm (in the single-story hive) and the parental hive (original hive that swarmed). Please call Heike Williams (direct office line 541-460-768four, cell 541-740-787seven) if you happen to successfully capture a swarm and know the parental hive from which the swarm was issued. Heike will either assist you with estimating worker population or will provide you with step-by-step instructions. Coverage of frames with bees in both colonies need to be estimated ideally within 24 hours (best) and latest within 72 hours after swarm issued and at a time of day when bees are not flying (mornings, evenings).

Appreciate your help in increasing the body of knowledge regarding swarming.

Ramesh Sagili - Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab

May 2026

in your Central Oregon Apiary

That was a quick turn of events.  Going from early spring cloudiness with freezing temps every night, to pretty consistent sun, high 70s and 80s and no freezes in sight (I’m not planting my tomatoes outside for awhile though).

The Manzanita’s, wax currents and mountain mahoganies as well as many of the fruit trees have finished blooming, and now the bitterbrush and sandlillies are blooming in the native areas, and there are still reports of apples blooming in town.

Swarms, Swarms, Swarms, Swarms.  Swarm season seems to have started in earnest.  It’s about a month early, but we’re definitely starting to get significant swarm calls.  The suspicion is that with the early spring, many colonies started to do the Spring increase early, and then surprised their keepers with how full they are.  If you don’t want your colony to swarm (think of your neighbors as well as yourself), you’ll need to work on mitigation.  You can reduce the likelihood of swarming, but not eliminate it.  Keeping in mind the general causes of swarming (overcrowding, no space to lay eggs, too many nurse bees, old/weak queen) alleviating the cause will help to mitigate the swarming tendency.

You can increase space by swapping upper and lower boxes(Langstroth hive) (if the lower one is completely empty) adding a second hive body, or adding a super on 2 nearly full hive bodies (if these aren’t drawn comb, the new space isn’t readily available, so it won’t be as effective of an intervention).  You can split the hive (either walk away or add a queen to the queenless half while added the extra hive body).  If the lack of laying space is due to being honeybound (frequently from too much feeding) you can take several frames of honey out and replace them with empty frames placed amid the brood chamber.  If the hive has started to prepare for swarming (building or finished swarm cells (not queen cups)) an artificial swarm where you take the queen out with 1 or 2 frames of brood and associated bees (without swarm cells) into a new hive body can “fool” the hive and queen that they’ve already swarmed.

If you have one hive which has a laying queen, but isn’t doing well, you can equalize with a gangbuster hive by taking several frames of brood and associated bees from the strong hive and transplanting into the week hive.  This can help both hives (alleviating swarming and increasing the population of the weak colony).  It won’t fix a weak queen though.

Finally, although the bee population has probably been growing faster than the mite population, the relative rates of growth will probably swap this month as the mites have had an unlimited supply of capped brood in which to reproduce and bee population increase starts to slow down.  IT’S TIME TO START WORRYING ABOUT MITES AGAIN!  Look at the HBHC tools for varroa management for specifics on mite treatments.  Things to keep in mind are the level of mite infestation, when you’ll be putting on supers and the outside temperatures

Lastly, we usually have a dearth in June.  It might be earlier this year.  Be prepared for your colonies to become somewhat defensive during the dearth as they have no food coming in, and you’re the bear who has come to steal all their food.

This could be a great summer for the Bees.

Enjoy your May,

Allen Engle