Are They About to Swarm? 🐝😳this Beehive is a worry! | Beekeeping | Sustainability

In this video I take you straight into a full beehive inspection immediately after removing the insulation from this hive in the previous episode. This is a strong, fast growing colony and what we find inside raises some important questions about space, swarm preparation, and how quickly things can change during the warmer months.

We start by opening the top honey super to see whether the bees are actively storing nectar and converting it into honey. Frame by frame, we look at how much honey has been built, how full the super is becoming, and whether the bees are starting to feel crowded. A very full hive can be a productive hive, but it can also be a hive that is thinking about swarming.

From there we move down into the brood box, where the real story of the colony is told. Every brood frame is packed with eggs and larvae, showing a queen that is laying strongly and a population that is growing rapidly. This level of brood coverage tells us the hive is healthy, but it also means space management becomes critical.

During the inspection we specifically look for swarm indicators, including drone brood and the early stages of queen cup development. In this hive we find a queen cell that looks almost ready to receive an egg, which is a strong signal that the bees may be preparing for a swarm if conditions remain the same.

To buy some time, we remove the queen cells found during the inspection. This is not a permanent solution, but it allows us to slow things down while planning the next steps. Given how full and active this hive is, the plan moving forward will be to add another super to give the bees more room and reduce congestion.

We finish the inspection by re installing most of the insulation that protects this hive in our cold climate. The only section we cannot replace is the front panel, simply because it is completely covered in bees. Sometimes the bees make the decision for you.

This video is aimed at backyard beekeepers who want to learn how to read their hive, understand what swarm preparation looks like in real time, and make calm, practical decisions before problems arise. I am still learning myself, and this channel is about sharing that learning openly and honestly.

#beekeeping #backyardbeekeeping #beehiveinspection #swarmprevention #coldclimatebeekeeping