As flowers and plants start to bloom, bees also start to perk up. Besides buzzing around fragrant buds, this time of year bees also are known to form large clusters around objects such as trees, shrubs, buildings or fenceposts in a process known as swarming. They arent dangerous, beekeepers say. Theyre just searching for a new home.
Swarming is a natural way for bees to produce new colonies. When the hive gets too crowded, the colony raises a new queen, and eventually, the queen and a large portion of the colonys worker bees set off to find a new home. They may cluster around a building, tree, shrub or even a parked car as they look for a suitable place to take up residence.
If people see swarms clustering on their property, the best course of action is to arrange for a beekeeper to remove the bees, according to a news release sent out by the Colorado State Beekeepers Association. The beekeeper can then transport the bees to a new location using a portable hive.
Do not attempt to kill the bees as the swarming process is important to their survival, the association said.
As honeybee populations decline due to disease and parasites, swarms are increasingly important for creating new bee colonies needed to pollinate plants, it said.
In Southwest Colorado, swarms typically happen in June, said Tina Sebestyen, founder of Four Corners Beekeepers Association.
Its important to call a beekeeper to remove the swarm as soon as it appears, Sebestyen said.
She is the local contact for residents who do see swarms clustering in unwanted locations and can be called at 884-8190.
ecowan@durangoherald.com
