Odd swarm today

[malabarchillin]

http://mikesfarm1.blogspot.com/
A little lengthy,(see my latest blog entry), but tonight I saw a swarm 300 feet from my 5 hives drift all around me and land on my hive stand.  I assume the swarm is mine, but with a lot of potential bee habitat in my area why would the swarm go at least 300 feet away and return within feet of where it came from ? There are many trees and places for them to live and ponds to drink from everywhere. After they landed I set out a couple of traps baited with lemongrass oil and a super with drawn comb. It is really odd to be without a bee suit in the middle of a drifting swarm with thousands of bees. If it was a swarm with a queen why would they swarm under a screen bottom board ? Would they not smell the existing queen through the screen ?

[justgojumpit]

Maybe they were attracted to the queen's pheromones  :?

justgojumpit

[fermentedhiker]

Do any of your hives have clipped queens?  Is it possible that they tried to swarm but the queen couldn't follow so they've returned because they are confused by the lack of a queen?  If that was the case I would think that they are hanging on the very hive that they swarmed from.  Just a guess though.

[TimV]

I'd guess that as well. The old queen for some reason didn't join them. You may want to look to see why they swarmed. Africanized hives will do it this early in warm areas at times. I'd check for mites, ants or something that's bothering them as well. If don't see drones hatching in any of your hives, I'd vote for something bothering them.

[malabarchillin]

Thanks for the replies.
I do not have clipped queens. I made some great ant barriers last year. No more ants.
The hive I suspect swarmed (not sure yet) still has bees so I do not think that they absconded.