The natural reproductive process by which a honey bee colony splits, in which the old queen departs the hive together with roughly half the worker bees to found a new colony, while a newly reared queen remains behind with the rest. The swarm first clusters temporarily on a nearby branch or structure while scout bees search for a suitable new nest cavity, a vulnerable but usually calm phase in which the bees, having gorged on honey before leaving, are far less defensive than they are at the hive.
Facts
PeriodicityMainly spring, within a two- or three-week period depending on locale 1 Phenomenon Kind Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA cluster of bees around the queen on a tree or branch a few metres from the hive 1 Sources
1. Swarming (honey bee), Wikipedia
Timing section
Swarming is mainly a spring phenomenon, usually within a two- or three-week period depending on the locale, but occasional swarms can happen throughout the producing season.
Swarm cluster description
They may gather in a tree or on a branch only a few metres (yards) from the hive. There they cluster about the queen.
Lead sentence
Swarming is a honey bee colony's natural means of reproduction.
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