Swarming is a reproductive strategy of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, that facilitates colony-level propagation and genetic diversification. 🐝 Under favourable environmental conditions—typically in spring when nectar and pollen are abundant—the parent colony initiates the rearing of multiple queen larvae. Before the emergence of the virgin queens, the reigning queen departs the hive accompanied by approximately 70% of the worker population. 🐝 This migrating group forms a temporary bivouac clus