Bees have been present in the area around Ballalough House for many years. Following a large swarm in the mid 1990’s, and a subsequent request from the BeeKeeper who helped corral the bees at that time, there have been hives within the grounds since.

In the winter the number of bees within the hives diminish, leaving enough to keep the queen warm and protected. As pollen develops and the temperature increase, the number of worker bees increases, and in summer each hive may have over 50,000 bees.

Late May and into June is often the time when bees swarm. A new queen having been born, and the old one leaves the hive to find a new place. She takes some of the hive residents with her. She looks for a dark place to re-establish her colony. Enough food is stored for a few days, so it is imperative that the scouts find something quickly. As the food runs out the swarm become more agitated and more likely to respond to people being near.

The first swarm from a hive is called the Primary, and it is possible that half the population go with the old queen, leaving the new queen chance to establish and develop the old hive further, however, if another new queen develops, then the process repeats, with the incumbent relinquishing their place for the new addition. This means the hive can be depleted further, the number of residents to go with the old (new) queen is less than the primary, and so if often referred to as a secondary swarm. This process can repeat, and it is part of the function of the beeKeeper to try and see whether there is a need to remove multiple queens from developing.