15 August β 9 October
dates recorded for this region, not shifted from anywhere
Rosemary and sage from February, lime and chestnut in June; hives on every karst slope.
Swarming β the colony's actual reproduction β is a late-April to June event and is the only time the whole superorganism is visibly in one place. Dalmatian sage honey is a single-fortnight harvest in May and a wet spring erases it.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| wintering here | 10 October β 19 March | 161 days | Here through the winter but not breeding β the year is simply on hold. |
| going about the year | 20 March β 14 April | 26 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| larvae feeding | 15 April β 14 May | 30 days | Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing. |
| courting | 15 May β 24 May | 10 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| brood in the nest | 25 May β 14 August | 82 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| new queens leaving | 15 August β 9 October | 56 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |