Watch closely. This is where bee behaviour gets fascinating.

When Bees Break the Rules!
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Whenever I’m called to a smaller swarm, I’m always on high alert for multiple queens because these are often after-swarms and they don’t always follow the rules.
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In this swarm, I found a small queen fresh, still hairy around the thorax, a clear sign of her young age. Then, I spotted another.
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Normally, when a queen emerges, she’ll seek out and eliminate her rivals, leaving just one to rule the hive. But it’s not uncommon for multiple queens to emerge at once or even get swept up together when the swarm takes off.
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That’s exactly what happened here, and now we’ve got an after-swarm carrying at least two queens.
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Watch closely. This is where bee behaviour gets fascinating.