There’s nothing worse than outgrowing a cozy place you once called home, and local bee populations know that late spring is a perfect time to relocate.
Bruce Richardson started Ontario Bee Rescue 10 years ago. There are over 120 beekeepers on their list, and if you have a swarm of bees in your yard, you can find a local beekeeper on their website to come and help you.
Richardson says that swarms are not dangerous,
If you have a swarm of honey bees, you can call your local beekeeper, and they will come and find them a new place to buzz around, free of charge.
Swarming occurs when honey bees outgrow their cavity – the queen will take 1/3-2/3 of the bees in the hive, and the old hive will hatch a new queen. A swarm usually looks like a baseball size or watermelon size pile of bees.
Both wild and captive bee populations are prone to swarming this time of year, says Richardson,
Honey bees are only one of 400 types of bees in Ontario, but Richardson says that they try to help with conservation of lots of different insects,
They’ve had people call them for help with bumblebee nests, wasps and hornets, and all of them play a vital role in the ecosystem – so before you go and spray, seek help first!
Written by: B. Shakyaver