We had the first swarm of 2023 (that we are aware of) the other day, right after Spring Equinox!
It is always part of honey bees’ nature to swarm. When honey bees swarm, it means the mother queen bee leaves the hive, taking half of the workers (females) and drones (males) with her, to settle in a new place. A new queen will be made by the bees staying behind, and they continue to live in their current hive location. When honey bees swarm, it means the hive has grown to the point that the current hive location is not enough to accommodate the large population, and that the hive is so strong that it needs to expand to another location.
A lot of beekeepers consider spring time is a stressful time because of all the swarm activities — having half of your bees fly away often seen as a loss. However considering the reason behind bees swarming, it is an event of celebration. Since only a strong hive can afford to swarm, it means not only the hive survived winter but it actually flourished.
