There's an 0ld beekeeping poem that says:
A swarm in May is worth a load of hay
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in July ain't worth a fly
But why do they say that?
If spring heats up quickly the bees can get pretty warm in their hives and start to think about swarming early.
Your mated queen will leave the hive and take about half the hive with her. The bees left behind will make a new queen.
Everything would be fine for the bees left behind except that the spring drones are too young and haven't had enough time yet for their sperm to mature.
They'll mate with the new queen but their immature sperm, won't last the queen for her lifetime.
The hive is then likely to fail that fall 
or the following spring. Hence, the load of hay. The swarm might be of some worth but not so much.
or the following spring. Hence, the load of hay. The swarm might be of some worth but not so much.A swarm in June warrants a silver spoon because seasonal temperatures are more stable and the drones have had time to mature.
There's lots of time in the season for the new hive to establish itself and create stores for winter.
A swarm in July isn't worth much because it's so late in the year that the swarm isn't able to 
establish themselves in a new hive and get enough honey stored to survive the winter.
establish themselves in a new hive and get enough honey stored to survive the winter.[These are photos of 2 swarms from last year at my friend Henry's place].
2 comments:
That is really interesting. We lost three swarms from our strong hive so far (and we caught one). I guess that means the hive's new queen won't be able to produce very long? I hope it is different here in Cali where it is warmer earlier!
I think it's a lot of hit or miss and it could go one way or the other for the queen.
As for California - that's a whole different ball game. Your seasons are very different to ours.
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