I have 6 Langstroth hives on my rooftop in Kyoto. Every spring, I lose 2-3 swarms and my neighbors are starting to complain. I've tried adding supers early but the bees still swarm. What techniques work best for urban beekeepers with limited space?
In my experience with Mediterranean bees, the most effective swarm prevention is the artificial swarm method (also called the Pagden method). In early spring, when you see queen cells being built, split the hive: move the old queen with 2-3 frames of brood to a new box on the original stand. The field bees will return to the original location. This relieves the swarming impulse completely. For urban settings, I also recommend using a swarm trap box on your rooftop — it catches swarms before they become a problem for neighbors.
For urban beekeeping with limited space, I recommend the 'checker-boarding' technique during spring buildup. Alternate empty drawn comb frames with frames of honey in the brood nest — this tricks the bees into thinking they have more space and significantly reduces swarming urge. Also, make sure you're doing weekly inspections from March onwards and removing all queen cells except one. If you miss a week, you'll likely lose a swarm.
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