The best time to buy
The best time to buy and hive a swarm is at the beginning of the nectar flow. At this time there is hardly any risk of having to feed the swarm; on the contrary there is every chance of seeing the colony settle down quickly, gather its stores for the winter and even, in melliferous years, giving a good harvest. In the following months, it would only be worthwhile buying swarms in so far as the beekeeper has some completely drawn comb and stores to give them. If the production of wax costs nothing during the nectar flow, it costs a lot at other times.