When conditions are optimal (large population in the hive, abundant blooms, good supplies) the bees can divide to form a second family from a first nucleus.
Once the conditions are favorable, about two-thirds of the adult bee population gulps down as much honey as possible and, during the hottest hours of the day, goes out en masse accompanied by the queen, looking for a suitable shelter (empty tree trunks, abandoned houses, attics, etc.) to form a new hive.