The Wayward Swarm, Part 4 (284)
About this episode
In the final part of the 'Wayward Swarm' saga, Jim and Jason inspect a colony that has faced numerous challenges, revealing surprising outcomes about queen survival and colony behavior.
In this final installment of the "Wayward Swarm" saga, Dr. Jim Tew and Jason Ferrell return to the colony that has caused more trouble, worry, and excitement than either expected. After multiple attempts to recover and hive the swarm — including ladders, falls, cold weather, bee vacuums, overloaded trap cages, and weeks of uncertainty — Jim finally opens the hive for the first inspection. What they discover surprises both of them. Despite losing a significant number of bees during the ordeal and never once seeing the queen after the swarm was collected, the colony survived. Jim and Jason find eggs and young larvae spread across multiple frames, confirming that the queen successfully survived the swarm capture, the transfer, and the difficult conditions that followed. Along the way, Jim reflects on how quickly beekeeping can shift from "not enough bees" to "too many bees," especially after unexpectedly strong overwintered colonies and package installations. He also shares thoughts on aging in the bee yard, the realities of ladder work, swarm management decisions, and the unpredictable nature of small mating swarms. The discussion also touches on package colony buildup, swarm…
More episodes of Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
- Archive Special: Removing Honey (292)
- Plain Talk: Hot Bees, Ants and Weeds (291)
- A Small Open Colony (290)
- Plain Talk: Hot Bees (289)
- Archive Special: Working Bees in the Heat (288)
- Plain Talk: Tall Grass In The Bee Yard (287)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Honey Bee Obscura Podcast podcast page.