Check Out The Buzz!!!
Queen Flora and I are having a disagreement. At my last inspection of the hive, I found swarm cells! Of course, I confronted Flora:
Jon: I found your swarm cells, care to explain?
Flora: You’re crowding me!
Jon: I can add on to the hive, you know I have more supers.
Flora: I am a grown bee, I can make my own decisions!
Jon: Fine. At least let me help you look for a new home.
Flora is silent.
Swarming is common and healthy in the world of bees. When a hive becomes too crowded, the colony may decide to swarm. In preparation, the current queen will lay eggs in the worker bee created queen cups. The workers then reduce her feedings, putting her on a crash diet so she will stop laying eggs and lighten up enough to fly to the new location. Once the preparations are made, the swarm begins with the queen and 50-60% of her offspring leaving the hive and resting in an interim location. At this point, scout bees go looking for a permanent location. They debate and vote on the final location. The last step is to move in.
I don’t want to lose my bees! I do have some options. The least risky option would be to let Flora go and focus my attention on making the new queen happy. In a balanced approach, I can prepare for the new queen AND I can try to catch the swarm. When they move to their interim location, it is possible to coax them into a new hive box. Or, if I am willing to take greater risk, I can move the frame containing the queen cups to a new hive box. The hive may still swarm and the new queen may die. I need to re-evaluate my risk tolerance before taking action.
Risk tolerance is a very important part of investing. Ranging from conservative to aggressive, risk tolerance dictates how a portfolio is built. Life events can drastically change your risk tolerance, so it is important to re-evaluate annually. Call me at 651-290-6114 to make sure your portfolio is in line with your risk tolerance.
Bee well,
Jonathan B. Kvasnik, ChFC aka King Bee
Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Jonathan B. Kvasnik, ChFC, Registered Representative Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Cherokee Investment Services and Securities America are separate companies.
Not FDIC Insured – Not Insured By Any Government Agency – May Lose Value – Not Bank Deposits – No Bank Guarantees