Can there be a swarm without a queen?

[Hope]

Will bees swarm together without a queen? What happens to a swarm if it loses the queen?

[jlsheehan]

I don't think they'll swarm without a queen -- or at least haven't heard of this. And I assume the swarm dies without a queen, unless you supply either a new queen or a frame or two of eggs/brood so the swarm can raise a new queen. 

[President]

Hi Hope,

  They can definitely swarm without the queen, but it is not common.  While talking to Tom Parisian this past weekend up at honeybee genetics we discussed that sometimes in queen banks that the bees will decide to swarm, but the queen(s) are basically caged so can't go with the swarm, the swarm eventually returns back to the hive after some time.  Also, if anything happens to the queen during the swarming process she might not end up with them.  I think if the swarm loses the queen, they will likely stay grouped together and slowly die off.  :(

  Why are you asking?  Are you not seeing eggs from a hived swarm?  If swarms have a virgin queen they have to mate and I was told to be very careful around that hive.  After a couple sunny days the queen will go on mating flights for a few days, her sense of direction is not nearly as good as the workers and so if you are standing near the hive when she is either leaving, or returning you can confuse her and she might not be able to return....   Mark

On Saturday, April 6, 2013 3:57:44 PM UTC-7, Hope wrote:

[Yigong Lou]

Very interesting to have this post -- I got a swarm four weeks ago. There are lots bee in hive but they only have very limited activities, not even eat my sugar (water). I will check this weekend to find out if the  queen still there. I didn't realize it can be no queen in a swarm. BTW, is there any good resource to get a queen?   

[Phil Stob]

I did catch a swarm a few months ago that did not have a queen, and indeed, they dwindled down to nothing.  Maybe the queen was a virgin, and died during her mating flights.  Happens. 

Phil in Fremont.