Subject: Re: Is swarming bad?

From: hoeger <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Jul 1996 16:33:00 GMT

Hi,
Swarming is not bad.  But it makes a lot of work, trouble, makes 
your hives weak, and costs honey. And it is not the way of 
responsible beekeeping for many reasons.

Problem 1: I don´t know how the situation is in your country.  In 
Germany swarms have the problem to find suitable cavities to 
built up a stable society and give them the chance to hibernate 
successfully.  Most swarms will die in fall and winter because 
they didn´t found a good, save and warm homeplace. Others are not 
welcome at the places they found by the people who live there.  
They are often killed by crob-busters.
Result: I think a good beekeeper is responsible for his bees, 
their health, and their chance to survive! A swarm has no chance.

Problem 2: Wild honeybee collonies are treatened by the Varroa 
mite like cultivated collonies.  A good beekeeper is able to 
control the number of mites in a hive and make sure that his 
collonies survive with the mites.  Wild collonies wiped out after 
2 or 3 years by the Varroa.
Result: See above!

Problem 3: Wild honeybees are not under control in aspects of
Varroa  They are hotspots for reinvasion of mites (and other 
diseases) in health collonies, especially if they become weak and 
victims of stronger collonies (bees like to steal honey from 
other collonies, and they bring the honey, mites and other 
deseases to their own hive).
Result: Wild bees may cause trouble for beekeepers nearby by 
Varroa etc..

Problem 4: Queen rearing.  In areas with a dense population (like 
in Germany) it is important to have peacefull bees.  Beekeepers 
select their best, calm hives for queen reproduction.  But every 
queen is mated by several drones (males) and this is out of 
direct control (eccept artif. mating by the beekeeper).  
The only chance is a population with good attitudes for mating 
(huge number of good drones) of good queens, basic for good 
hives.
Result: Wild bees can make trouble because there is no selection 
in important points.

Problem 5: Varroa resistant bees.  This may a good view on wild 
bees.  Here the selsction supports collonies with good Varroa 
tolerance, because nobody help them to fight the mites. Our 
chance to get a varroa resistance bee in future?

Final Result:
I think that intentional swarming to increase the number of wild 
honeybees is not the way of responsible, professional beekeeping 
for many reasons.  If you are only interested in pollination, you 
should think about cultivation of bumblebees, this means to give 
them the chance to start a society in spring by supporting the 
queens with breeding locations, or help the solitary bees to 
breed. This is still a way to pollinate cultures in glass houses 
(in the Netherlands for example).

With best regards

ulli hoeger