Where Are Those Bees?

This is an update as of May 20, 2026 from SALC Beekeeper Ami Frick

Beekeeping is very dependent on the weather, and sometimes a lot of things have to come together before the bees can safely make their move. In other words… sometimes we simply have to wait!

So where are the St. Andrew’s bees? Well, we had a bit of excitement in the hive — the colony swarmed! In this case, it appears the queen ran out of room to lay eggs, so she decided it was time to find a bigger home. She took about half of the bees with her and left the hive behind. While completely normal in the beekeeping world, it was still a little heartbreaking to witness!

The amazing news is that the remaining worker bees immediately got to work raising a new queen. They selected the very last egg the old queen had laid and began feeding it a steady diet of royal jelly, which transforms an ordinary bee into a queen bee. Nature is incredible!

Even better, the hive has already successfully re-queened itself. The new queen has completed her mating flight and is now back in the hive laying eggs. We know things are going well because we are seeing forager bees returning home with their little “pollen pants” — bright bundles of pollen packed onto their hind legs.

Assuming the weather cooperates, we will check soon for a healthy brood pattern, and if all looks good, the St. Andrew’s bees will finally be making their way HOME!

Image Credit: Ma Ti on unsplash.com