What can a beekeeper do to prevent swarming?

Avoid congestion. Because overcrowding is a primary reason a colony will swarm, make sure to anticipate your bees' needs and provide them with more room before they need it. Reverse your hive bodies in the early spring to better distribute the fast-growing population.

Add a queen excluder and honey supers before the first nectar flow in the early spring.

Provide adequate ventilation. To ensure proper ventilation, you can do a number of things:

If your inner cover has a notched ventilation hole in the front of the inner cover, make sure it is open.

Glue a short length of a wooden Popsicle stick to each of the four corners of the inner cover. By doing so, you create a thin gap between the inner cover and the hive and improve air flow into and out of the hive.

Make the bees comfortable in hot weather by doing the following:

Supply a nearby water source. The bees will use this water to regulate the hive's temperature.

Shield the hive from a full day of blazing sun.

Remove all queen swarm cells. The earliest evidence that your bees are thinking about swarming is that they start to make swarm cells. During the spring and early summer, inspect your hive every week or ten days to look for swarm cells.

Lastly, Remove all queen swarm cells. The earliest evidence that your bees are thinking about swarming is that they start to make swarm cells. During the spring and early summer, inspect your hive every week or ten days to look for swarm cells.