A swarm Linda caught in Roy that had clustered around the feet of a rooster statue. (click on image to enlarge)

Queen Rooster is now a favorite at 3 Queens Apiary. (click on image to enlarge)

The Buzz Report – Why Do Honey Bees Swarm?
By Linda Lawless LaStayo - 24 April 2026

It’s officially spring and you might notice the honey bees all over the flowers.  Now is the time when they are populating the hive with new bees to grow their numbers.  Honey bees instinctively want to reproduce their colony and swarming is a natural and healthy way to expand.  In the spring when nectar and pollen are plentiful, the hive can quickly become very crowded and worker bees will begin preparing to swarm by creating some new queen bee cells from eggs before a planned exit with the current queen.  Scout bees also begin looking for a new location and convincing the others which is the best spot for the new hive while the queen is put on a diet so she can fly.

It is a sight to behold when bees are swarming.  What feels like chaos is a mass exit to a predetermined destination.  Approximately 50% of the worker bees leave with the current queen and usually form a dense cluster in a temporary spot such as a tree near the original hive where they might stay for a few hours up to a couple of days.  They then move onto their selected permanent new home.  Swarming bees are typically very docile as they are not defending a hive and are focused on the move.

What happens to the remaining hive left behind?
In 16 days after the egg is laid, the first new queen will emerge, destroy any remaining queen cells, mature, go on her mating flight, and begin laying eggs and rebuilding the hive which typically takes about 4 weeks total.  Sometimes several queens emerge at the same time and will fight to become the one and only queen of the original hive. 

What should you do if you find a swarm of honey bees?
Remain calm and do not spray them with pesticides.  Also please do not call an exterminator.  We want to protect and save our beautiful pollinators.

If you know a beekeeper, call them or call the Weber County Beekeepers Association Swarm Hotline at 385-288-1082.  Please don’t do both or you will have too many people showing up.  They will ask you for a picture to determine whether the cluster is honey bees and, if so, someone will come out promptly to get them.  Beekeepers LOVE free-bees and swarms are typically healthy and resilient.  If you want to watch the swarm collection up close, ask the beekeeper to bring an extra suit.

What do beekeepers do to prevent their bees from swarming?
In the spring, beekeepers are very careful to watch for signs that an overwintered hive is getting too crowded.  In particular, they will watch for new queen bee cells (called swarm cells) which is a sign that swarming is eminent.  Extra room can be given, and hives can be split into two or more to simulate a controlled swarm. 

​Sometimes, despite the beekeeper doing everything they can, the hive will swarm anyway.  Some types of honey bees are more likely to swarm than others.  While it can appear to be alarming, swarming is a sign of a thriving healthy hive of beautiful pollinators looking for a new home.