This is the time of the year that bees swarm to increase their colonies. The old queen leaves with approximately half of the colony. They have gorged on honey prior to leaving to help them with their new home. Initially they fly a short distance from the parent hive because the queen has not flown in a year.
They will form a cluster or a ball, and may have already decided upon a location to set up housekeeping. If you were to see one of these balls of bees contact your local bee club or the Clemson Extension Agent. If the bees move off on their own, there is less than 25 percent chance they will survive. However, if they are rescued by a beekeeper their chances are much improved.
In the new hive, a new queen will hatch out within the next couple of days. These bees are not at all dangerous as they have just gorged on honey so it is like Thanksgiving dinner after the turkey and all the fixings.
The first new bees have arrived for beekeepers both old and new to increase their numbers. Bees will be delivered over the next couple of weeks to the local beekeeping supplier. This is exciting for the new people. When the bees are first installed in their hive, there will almost be a loud roar but by the following morning they will be organized and it will be a soft hum.
These bees will be fed a sugar syrup until the nectar flow begins and they will switch to the nectar on their own. They will have the opportunity to see the wax development in the hive. This process is call festooning and the bees will gather around where the new wax is being installed and vibrate their wing muscles not their wings and raise the temperature by a couple of degrees. The wax is removed from the abdomens and shaped into the appropriate shape.
Dewberries are beginning to bloom and can be seen along the road within a few inches of the ground. It is a white bloom like the blackberry. Within the next week or so, blackberries will put on their show of their white blooms on canes as much as four foot tall. This will mark the start of the honey flow.
Pollen is protein source for the bees which is very necessary; however, pine pollen is too large and too big for them to use. Its primary purpose in life is to make pinecones, and as an added benefit it will turn everything in its vicinity yellow. The good news is that it only lasts a couple of weeks and after you get it all cleaned up it will not return until next spring.
