Updated on December 28th, 2023<\/p>\n
Honey bees leave their hive en masse in two ways: absconding and swarming<\/strong>. Each of these phenomena occurs for different reasons and has a different impact on your beehive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absconding bee colonies abandon a hive, leaving little behind, save some very young bees, small amounts of brood, and little food. Bees abscond if their hive is unacceptable due to a lack of resources, pests, frequent disturbances, or other reasons. They may also abandon new hives they have not adapted to yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Swarming is a natural occurrence by which bees form a new colony and expand their population. The queen leaves a hive with about half the bees (including some drones). Before swarming, the colony begins the process of raising a replacement queen for the bees that remain.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If your bees abscond, your beehive is virtually empty, and you are starting over. If your colony swarms, your population is depleted, but the remaining bees will carry on with a new queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our article What Is A Swarm Trap? (How To Get \u201cFREE\u201d Bees)<\/strong><\/a> for more information on swarming.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Absconding is relatively unusual while swarming is something you must be aware of annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article details the causes of absconding and the steps you can take to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honey bees may find a hive undesirable for a variety of reasons. Mitigating those issues lowers the chance that your bees will abscond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bee packages and newly trapped swarms take time to settle into a new hive. Without brood, comb, or honey to bind them to their new digs, honey bees may abscond<\/strong>. However, you can take steps to keep them put.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider transferring a full frame of comb, honey, or brood from another colony to the new box to anchor the bees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Used, disease-free hive boxes<\/strong> have scents, propolis, and wax that help the bees feel at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paint new hive boxes well in advance of putting them to use. Give them time for any chemical odors to dissipate before the bees are in residence. Chemical odors from new paint may cause the bees to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our article Should I Paint My Beehive (Do It!)<\/strong><\/a> for tips on what how and why to paint your boxes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Feeding sugar syrup provides nutrition and helps accelerate comb production.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n See our article Why, What, How & When To Feed Honey Bees<\/strong><\/a> for more sugar syrup information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Keep a bee package queen in place by delaying her release from the cage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can cage the queen with a newly caught swarm or, more simply, place a queen excluder under the brood box and above the bottom board for a brief time. With the queen trapped, the colony will not abscond and will build out comb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a colony is low on honey stores and foraging resources are scarce, the bees may abscond in search of greener pastures.<\/strong> Unfortunately, this can happen in the fall if the colony does not build up adequate stores for winter. A colony that absconds in the fall is unlikely to survive the cold season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When resources are scarce, like during summer nectar dearth, bees may consume honey stores they are unable to replace. Feeding sugar syrup and providing water sources when needed can help them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our article What Is Summer Nectar Dearth? (What To Do For Your Bees)<\/strong><\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Varroa mites, ants, small hive beetles, and wax moths are among the most common pests that can cause a colony to abscond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A large, thriving colony is your best defense against most pests (varroa mites being an exception). Smaller, weak colonies are susceptible to being overrun, causing bees to abscond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep the apiary and bottom boards clean and free of debris where pests can gather and hide. Do not remove burr comb and toss it on the ground around the hives, as it may attract unwanted guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Varroa mites are a serious threat to bees. Consider testing and treating to control varroa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our articles Best Varroa Mite Treatment (How To Choose)<\/strong><\/a> and Varroa Mites: A Complete Treatment Guide<\/strong><\/a> for details.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Also, see What Is Treatment-Free Beekeeping? (A Controversial Topic)<\/strong><\/a> other information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Beekeepers use a variety of methods to keep ants out of beehives. Elevate the hive off the ground with a hive stand to start. Coating hive stand legs with oil or setting the legs in cans with oil or water may keep ants at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We used a line of petroleum jelly around a low hive box with mixed results. Try cinnamon powder or sticks as ant repellants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After extracting honey, freeze the comb for at least 24 hours before storing it to kill wax moth and small hive beetle eggs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Traps have been proven effective in controlling small hive beetles. The University of Arkansas \u2013 Division of Agriculture has a list of traps and additional information in their online publication Managing Small Hive Beetles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Limit the amount of area your bees need to defend themselves from pests. Do not leave empty supers full of comb on the hive as a breeding ground. Forcing bees to cover this additional territory may weaken an otherwise strong colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BeeAware\u2019s website<\/a> has detailed information about wax moths, small hive beetles, and other pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Absconding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
New Hives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Lack of resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pest Or Parasite Infestation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Varroa Mites<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Ants<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Wax Moths & Small Hive Beetles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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