I`VE gotten 4 swarms already im thinking they are not my bees

[classeroadbees]

I hived 4 swarms will ferol hives come to my bee yard or is it my home hives swarming when i see a swarm in my trees
i check my hives they are full of bees are these my home bees or feral bees any help will be great thanks classeoadbees

[riverrat]

unless you got feral hives close by i bet they are comming out of your hives. i have seen hives swarm and you couldnt tell they swarmed by looking at the numbers but remember it takes 2 to 3 weeks for a new queen to start laying that is when the hive will look weak. if you only have a few hives and you notice a swarm look between the to brood boxes and see if you see swarm cells

[schawee]

mark your queens then you will know if its yours or not.

[riverrat]

good idea and could work but not all the time. The bees have a habit of grooming off the markings and if the swarm issues with  a virgin queen she wont be marked. i did have a bee call the other day at boeing on the side of a hanger that had a queen marked with a yellow dot swarm was no bigger than a soft ball