Ethel Irvine of Fermanagh Beekeepers Association has reported an increase in bees swarming. In this report for July she looks at growth in beekeeping in the county.

She said: “This season has seen an increase in swarming compared with other years. Colonies headed by young queens will not usually swarm but all the usual rules have gone by the wayside as colonies have expanded rapidly to the stage where they feel prosperous enough to venture out and form a new colony in a different location, leaving the old colony with a queen cell (or several) or a viable virgin queen. It is the bees’ method of reproduction. Much of the work at present is directed towards controlling swarming by giving the bees plenty of room with the addition of supers for honey storage so that all the pheromones carrying various messages can be transmitted easily throughout the colony. The honey supers are added above a queen excluder so that the queen cannot pass through and lay eggs in the supers but the bees can easily travel through with their loads of nectar. The nectar is transformed into honey by the bees and when it is ready they seal the cells with waterproof wax which they produce from wax pockets in their abdomens.

Beekeepers do not like losing swarms because it means a decrease in forager numbers and a consequent decrease in the honey harvest. We do use the artificial swarm control method which persuades the bees that they have actually swarmed when, in essence, the beekeeper has moved the queen into an empty hive on its original site where she is joined by the foragers on their return from the fields. The rest of the colony is moved to one side and left to rear a queen for themselves from one of the swarm cells. In this way, the swarming instinct is satisfied and the bees settle down to their normal routine. This method does require a lot of extra equipment and, this year, some beekeepers, including myself, have run out of the extra brood boxes, floors and roofs which are necessary. We then have to collect the swarms from bushes and trees and hope to find beekeepers who, for some reason, are in need of bees. There is another reason why we do not want our bees to swarm and that is because they can be a nuisance to the general public. A swarm can also be frightening because of the sheer numbers of bees in the air and the accompanying loud buzzing. In fact, a newly emerged from the hive swarm is harmless. Their honey stomachs are full of honey from the hive and they are fully concentrated upon finding a convenient (to the bees) landing place where they can take time to decide upon their final destination i.e. their new home. The landing places can be inconvenient to the public e.g. the wheel arches of a car or a garden gate. Swarms are a common method for new beekeepers to obtain their first bees but they need to be treated with suspicion unless the origin is known. Swarms can carry disease and they will spread it to other healthy bees with which they come in contact.” Ethel reported that she has had many enquiries from people interested in taking up beekeeping.

“It is wrong to discourage the interest but bees are like any other livestock in that they have to housed, fed, their diseases recognised and treated and they have to be managed in ways which suits their needs, so a certain amount of basic knowledge is essential. The new beekeeper needs to realise that while bees may be classed as domesticated by DARD, they are truly wild creatures which will never recognise their handler. The advice would be to go to a beekeeper and ask to watch at close quarters. First test over, the next step is to join the local Beekeeping Association. In summer, hives in the Association apiary will be opened and techniques of handling bees demonstrated. Advice on equipment and protective clothing will be there for the asking. The Association will be able to help the beginners to get their first bees and will provide a mentor to help with inspections until confidence is gained. Anyone interested should get in touch with Noel McAllister, Chairman of Fermanagh Association on 66341195.

Work by the queen rearing group continues in the Association Apiary. Routine work at the hives is carried out mid-week by some members. Gormanston Summer School starts on Sunday, July 26 and runs through until Friday, July 31. It caters for all levels of beekeepers, with lectures, practical work and demonstrations on all aspects of beekeeping. If interested, visit www.irishbeekeeping.ie and follow the links to the Summer School.

The next Meeting of Fermanagh Beekeepers is in the Apiary on Saturday, August 15. Demonstrations of feeding bees and explanations of how to treat for the varroa mite using both Apiguard and MAQS in preparation for winter will begin at 10am.

The Honey Show will be held at Florencecourt House on Sunday, August 30, with staging of exhibits starting at 9am and judging beginning at 10.30am. It will be open to the public on Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon.