By Laura Schulteis-Jungbluth
Honey bee swarming season is upon us. If you are a beekeeper, like my husband, you are no doubt on alert, eyeing the trees and limb-like structures around you and listening for the busy hum of worker bees.
Swarming is the honey bee’s way of keeping the colony alive and healthy. The worker bees (female) guard the old queen – who has abandoned the original hive to make way for the new queen – as the scout bees (also female) go out to look for a new place to nest.
Swarming doesn’t last long. The bees may be in their temporary location for hours or up to several days, however long it takes for the scouting bees to find a suitable permanent location in which to set up residence.
