Swarm Season
Hey folks!
We are in swarm season.
In a nutshell, a honeybee swarm is the birth of a new colony. The old queen takes off with about 1/3 of the hive to find a new home whilst a daughter takes over the existing hive. This can happen up to 5 times depending on different variables.
Once the old queen departs, she will land and the workers that went with her will cluster around her to keep her safe. During this cluster formation, scout bees will go out and try to find a new home. Information about that home will be presented with a waggle dance by the scout bees. The scout bee that gets the cluster hyped the most will win the vote of best new digs. This process can take several days.
If you spot a cluster, you can contact a beekeeper for removal or leave them be for they will eventually move on.
Obtaining a hive will not "save the bees". Halting the use of pesticides, planting diverse flora on all levels of stratification, and leaving undisturbed debris overwinter for native pollinators is the key to "saving the bees".
Reminder: it takes approximately 2 million flowers for honeybees to produce 1lb of honey.
Please enjoy this short video I shot from inside of a swarm that happened in my backyard.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXTDY5nEm33/?igsh=ejhycDd5dGk0eXB3