3 Options for Preventing March Swarms

By Blake Shook

If you have to worry about this, that's a great problem! Keep in mind, when your top box becomes 80% full of bees, brood or honey, it’s time to take action!

 There are 3 primary options to prevent a swarm this time of year:

• March Splits
• Add Boxes
• Equalize Brood, Honey & Bees

March Splits

Cons:

• Queens unavailable
• Allowing bees to raise their own queen is a slow & risky process
• Potential for insufficient drones to mate
• Potential for inclement weather for queen mating
• Exception- If hive already has swarm cells, then a split is the best option.

Adding Boxes (Recommended)

One of the key ways to prevent swarms is to add a second or third box.

• When the top brood box (or super) becomes 80% full, add another box.
• I recommend adding a deep box of foundation and lightly feeding. This will give the bees room & slow them down until you can split in early April.
• Plan to split once queens become available in early April.

Top box is packed full & at risk of swarming!

Equalizing (Recommended)

You can share brood, bees & honey

Prerequisites:

• Low mite levels
• No brood disease
• Leave original doner hive at least 1 box full of bees this time of year
• Gauge strength on warm days over 60

Another over crowded hive!

Equalizing Brood

• Select frames of mostly capped brood
• Shake off the bees
• Add the frame of brood in the center of the brood nest, between other frames of brood.
• Make sure the weaker hive has enough bees to fully cover the new frame of brood.
• Add 1 frame of brood at a time.
• Replace the frame in the original hive with an empty frame on the outside edge of the brood box.

 Equalizing Honey

• Select a frame of capped or uncapped honey & shake off the bees.
• Add it to the outside edge of the cluster/brood area in the new hive.
• Do not separate brood with a frame of honey. Replace the frame in the original hive with an empty frame on the outside edge of the brood box.

Equalizing Bees

• Select a frame from your strong hive that is full of larva, and thus nurse bees.
• Make sure the queen is not on the frame.
• Smoke the entrance of your weaker hive.
• Shake the bees off the frame into the entrance of the weak hive.
• Repeat with up to 3 frames of bees, but ensure the strong hive remains at least 1 box full of bees and has sufficient bees to cover all brood.