More on Swarms

It's swarming season!

Swarming bees on our property can certainly alarm some people. However, it is a very natural and wonderful part of the life cycle of honey bees.

The problem is, there is no space in the colony for more than one queen.  Before the new queen emerges, the old queen takes off with part of the colony to establish a new nest, but before leaving their original colony, all of the bees will fill themselves up on nectar.
Once the swarm has left its old nest or hive, this is when we might see a whirling mass of swarming bees in the air, or a bee swarm settled on the branch of a tree (or possibly somewhere not so convenient!).

The reason a bee swarm looks like a clump of bees, is because all of the workers are gathered around the queen, hence forming a clump. The constant buzzing of their wings creates heat for queen to keep her comfortable. The queen is not the strongest of flyers, and so inevitably will need to rest at some point – perhaps on a branch, post or fence. Meanwhile, ‘Scout bees’ will be sent out to look for a suitable new place for the colony to live.

The scouts focus on finding a new nest, not on attacking. That said, it is important to keep your distance from swarming bees, because if the bees feel threatened, then it is possible they will sting.

A swarm may stay around for a few days, depending on how quickly the scout bees find a suitable new home. This could happen very quickly, even within a day. 

If, however, you come across a bee swarm that really is too inconvenient to tolerate, then firstly:

  • Do not attempt to move or destroy the swarm. Such attempts could seriously back fire.
  • Do not spray a pesticide or any other chemicals.  This can provoke the bees and is completely unnecessary.
  • Do no throw sticks, rocks or other items at the swarm in an attempt to drive it away!  You'll only aggravate the bees!
  • Make sure you have correctly identified the swarm to be honey bees - it could be wasps or other insects.  There are plenty of sites that can help you with this.
  • Determine if this is a swarm or a hive. 
  • Call J & M Honey Bee Good at (918)954-5811 for FREE swarm removal.
  • Call us for an estimate for hive removal.  This may include dismantling and/or repairing a structure.  Prices will vary due to the difficulty of the removal process.


Contact
Jim Riley 
to remove unwanted swarms and hives 
J & M Honey Bee Good
P.O. Box 215
Coalgate, OK 74538
(580)927-8223
or
(580)927-6510