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"Swarming" and Sources of Early Summer Honey

Takayuki Ono
Yamada Bee Farm,
Beekeeping Division

In this section let's look at the bee farm from spring to early summer-- all about summer honey and how the colonies grow.
This year was warm from the beginning of the year, and just when we thought the mild winter was over it turned very cold for a stretch in February. Most days from March to April remained colder than average, and we had snow flurries instead of swelling buds on the cherry trees as in a normal year. This cold weather delayed the budding and blooming of field flowers, which likewise delayed the propagation of worker bees. Clover flowers, which are the spring's biggest source of honey, were late and only reached full bloom toward the end of April. Overall, everything happened 10 days later this year than last year.

This year's clover bloomed unusually late.

The busiest season for beekeepers flew by and we began our summer tasks. The number of worker bees grew to 40,000 or 50,000 and we stacked second- and third-story boxes onto the hives.
As the number of worker bees in the hive increases there becomes less and less space for storing honey and for laying eggs. When this happens, the honeybees leave the hive to propagate. A young queen bee is reared, and before it hatches the old queen bee leaves the hive up to half of the honeybees. This is known as "absconding," or "swarming." The swarm may cluster on trees lining a street or garden trees and often cause people trouble, even sometimes making news. Many people at one time or another have seen such a swarm of bees. After gathering temporarily on a tree branch or other location, they fly off in search of a new home. The professional beekeeper must take effective measures to prevent swarming.

Swarming (absconding) is likely to occur at the beginning of the hot and humid rainy season when the chestnut trees are in bloom. At this time the bees are in a very good health and don't care if a person approaches their hive.
A great variety of flowers bloom in the mountains of Kagamino at this time, providing sources of honey. These include: persimmon, chestnut, horse chestnut, wax-tree, eggplant, sunflower, wild mustard, pepper tree, and buckwheat. The honey from these trees falls into the category of "Deep-Mountain 100-Flower Honey." With these flowers, however, there may be little nectar in some years and a lot in others. (Beekeepers call this time when there is abundant nectar available a "honey flow.") With tree flowers, unlike field flowers such as clover and rapeseed, the amount of honey that can be obtained can vary widely from year to year.

This honey obtained from various tree flowers is not necessarily the same every year. The weather and seasonal conditions from year to year will slightly alter the content.
It is therefore not easy to answer this question that we often get: "What flowers does Deep-Mountain 100-Flower Honey come from?"
Why is there honey flow some years and not others in the same place where the same flowers bloom every year? We don't know why. It is how nature works, but I'm sure there is a reason to be found in there somewhere.