under the guidance of the respected Dean, Dr. Ali Abdul-Hussein Kareem, and the direct supervision of the esteemed Head of the Plant Protection Department, Dr. Yasser Nasser Hussein, the person in charge of the college’s apiary conducted an inspection of the beehives on Thursday, 27/3/2025. This inspection was necessary as part of the routine checks to monitor the development of the bees, assess their nutritional needs, and provide suitable conditions to prevent swarming.
Swarming is a process where bees leave the hive led by a new queen in search of a new location, which weakens the original colony. The main causes of swarming include overcrowding, poor ventilation, lack of food, or the aging of the queen.
Swarming can be prevented by expanding the hive, ensuring proper ventilation, artificially dividing strong colonies before natural swarming occurs, and replacing queens older than two years with new ones. Weekly monitoring of the hives is essential to detect any signs of swarming, such as the construction of new queen cells.
