Bisamhällen

Bisamhällen are a concept used in beekeeping to describe a secondary colony that is created by splitting a strong hive. The purpose is to prevent swarming and to rapidly increase the number of colonies in an apiary. A bisamhälle typically contains a portion of brood and adult bees, some stores, and either a queen that is transferred to the new hive or a queen cell that will soon produce a new queen.

Formation of a bisamhälle usually takes place in spring or early summer when there is ample brood and nectar flow. A portion of brood frames, worker bees, and a frame with stores are moved from a healthy original hive to a new, empty hive or a nucleus box. The new colony is equipped with a queen or a queen cell, depending on the preferred method. If the new hive starts with a queen cell, careful management is required to ensure timely queen emergence and acceptance. The original hive retains the primary queen and continues as a standard colony.

Management considerations include ensuring the bisamhälle has enough forage and sugar syrup if needed, monitoring for queen acceptance, and preventing queenlessness in either colony during transfers. Regular inspections help detect problems such as weak brood, disease, or insufficient stores. The split should be timed to align with nectar flows to maximize growth and reduce winter risk.

In practice, bisamhällen are one of several methods to expand an apiary and manage swarm risk. The approach is common in many beekeeping traditions and is often contrasted with forming a nucleus colony or letting the original colony swarm naturally.