Last Sunday, we observed a swarm of bees – probably 10,000 or more – beside the path leading to our apiary. We don’t yet know from which hive it came. The swarmed bees were sending out scouts to look for a permanent home. They were all gone later that day, so apparently they found a hollowed out tree somewhere nearby. The scouts came back to report possible home sites and, by consensus, the colony decided which one was right – just like in a Vermont town meeting (or by a Wake Robin resident survey).
The swarm took the queen with them, so the workers that remain (about half the colony) will now have to create a new queen by feeding “royal jelly” that they make for that purpose. It turns worker larva into queens. Amazing, isn’t it?
Aside from that, the apiary is doing very well, and we’re hoping for a good honey harvest.
