We Split That Hive Three Times... and It Swarmed Anyway

Sometimes bees remind us that they didn't read the beekeeping books.

Our Strongest Hive: Local PA Raised Bees

This spring, we had one colony that was absolutely booming. The hive was packed with bees, producing swarm cells, and showing all the classic signs that it was preparing to divide. To stay ahead of them, we performed not one, not two, but three splits from that colony.

And yet... they swarmed anyway.

At first, that feels a little frustrating. Beekeepers spend a lot of time trying to prevent swarms because when half your workforce flies away, so does a good portion of your honey crop. So there they are, up 40 feet in a tree...

Further Thoughts

But after thinking about it, I'm not entirely convinced the bees were wrong.

The original queen was at least three years old. For a honey bee queen, that's getting up there in age. While queens can live several years, their egg-laying ability and pheromone production naturally decline over time. Many colonies will replace a queen after two or three years through a process called supersedure, where the workers decide it's time for new leadership.

In other words, the workers hold elections.

The fascinating part is that scientists are still uncovering how bees decide who gets the crown.

A new study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside challenged the long-standing idea that royal jelly alone creates a queen. Scientists found that worker bees actively engineer queen development through a combination of special queen cells, intensive nursing care, and social interactions. The researchers describe it as a coordinated colony effort rather than simply feeding a larva a magical food. Queens aren't just fed differently. They're raised differently from the very beginning.

That's a remarkable thought.

A colony doesn't simply grow a queen. Thousands of workers collectively decide that one larva is worth investing in and then create the conditions that allow her to become royalty.

Maybe that's what was happening in our hive.

Perhaps the weather played a role. Pennsylvania spring weather this year has been about as predictable as a squirrel on espresso. Long stretches of rain can delay mating flights, disrupt nectar flows, and throw colony timing out of sync. Or perhaps the bees simply decided that after three years it was time for fresh genetics and a young queen.

Sometimes bees swarm because they're crowded.

Sometimes they swarm because conditions are perfect.

And sometimes they swarm because they have plans that don't include asking the beekeeper first.

The more time I spend around honey bees, the more I realize that every hive is running an experiment. We can provide space, monitor health, make splits, and do our best to guide them, but the colony still has a vote. Often a very strong one.

So despite three splits, the old queen left with a swarm.

The remaining bees raised new queens.

The cycle continues.

And honestly? That's one of the reasons bees are so cool.

For creatures with brains smaller than a sesame seed, they somehow manage succession planning, construction projects, food storage, climate control, security operations, childcare, and occasionally ignoring their beekeeper's advice.

Not bad for a bunch of insects.

What Now?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, we put a nuc box on a ladder about 10 feet high near the tree where the swarm settled. The scouts are undoubtedly busy evaluating potential homes and presenting their findings back to the cluster. Maybe they'll decide our nuc box is perfect. Maybe they'll choose a hollow tree half a mile away that wasn't even on our radar. At this point, we're basically waiting to see whether the swarm accepts our real estate listing or continues house hunting elsewhere. The bees, as usual, have the final vote. 🐝🏡

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References:
University of California, Riverside: "How Honeybees Really Crown Their Queens" (June 2026)
Penn State Extension: "Queen productivity and replacement timelines"
Bee Culture Magazine: "Research on supersedure and queen replacement behavior"