Comprehensive Guide/Course on Bee Swarm Prevention & Management for Beekeepers.

A beekeeper, whose newly installed nucs unexpectedly swarmed, asks, "Can someone explain swarm behavior to me?" Their follow-up comment that they "thought with new nucs, they’d have a low chance of swarming" highlights a common misunderstanding among those new to beekeeping or managing young colonies. This situation shows a clear need for accessible, practical educational resources on bee swarm management. An information product, like an online course, a detailed e-book, or a video tutorial series, would be incredibly helpful. The content should cover swarm triggers, especially in new hives or nucs, effective prevention techniques (such as space management, splitting hives, and methods like the Demaree technique), safe swarm capture methods, and proper hive management after a swarm. These resources would help beekeepers maintain healthier colonies, prevent the loss of bees, and increase their overall success and enjoyment of beekeeping.

Origin Reddit Post

r/beekeeping

Can someone explain swarm behavior to me.

Posted by u/mj931105/30/2025
So I have 2 hives, nucs installed 5/25. Both have swarmed, one yesterday and one today. I was not able to locate the queen in either swarm or on my inspection on monday. One hive had 3-4 day

Top Comments

u/No-Arrival-872
This is definitely one of those things that requires a bunch of reading to learn about. Swarming is complex, and used to be the number one problem before varroa. The old queen leaves with the
u/Kinent
This is a fantastic site with tons of helpful content https://scientificbeekeeping.com/understanding-colony-buildup-and-decline-part-7a/
u/Excellent_Work_6927
Swarms explained: https://youtu.be/F9emegNkGJ0?si=2pRbE1DGu2TQbX-m
u/mj9311
I appreciate the advice. I figured with new nucs they’d have a low likely hood of swarming so that was on more on my winter list to research more up on. Thankfully I was able to grab both of
u/mj9311
I don’t think I was over feeding. Both hives took about a gallon of syrup over the course of a month or so. They also had a good bit of open comb but o hadn’t considered that, so I can look i
u/medivka
If you are overfeeding and forcing the queen out of laying space by honeybounding the hive this would explain a swarming scenario.
u/miken4273
Swarming is natures way of making sure the species spreads across the earth, it’s an impulse of a 2nd year queen, the best way to deal with it IMHO is the demaree method.
u/FuzzeWuzze
When in doubt, demaree.

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