By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Swarm of honey bees? Help is available

Jul 13, 2017 | 10:54 AM

LETHBRIDGE — There’s now help for people who may recieve a certain type of unexpected visitor in their yard.

The Swarm Response Line is standing by to connect local beekeepers to property owners who find themselves looking at a swarm of honey bees. This is the time of year it’s likely to happen, explains Chelsea Sherbut, beekeeper and co-founder of Lethbridge Bee Enthusiasts, which works with the city of Lethbridge to operate the line.

“A swarm is a sign of a really healthy beehive,” Sherbut said in an interview. “It means that they have gotten really strong, and half of them are going to go off and make a new colony.” She adds these bees are not defensive, and won’t stay for long.

“We do our best to manage our hives so that they don’t swarm. But once they do go it’s the rule of the Wild West. You just collect them as you can.”  

– Chelsea Sherbut

These are domesticated European honey bees which cannot survive in the wild in North America. Sherbut said if they find a home of their own, such as in a tree or on a porch, they might last two years. That’s why the group is encouraging people to call the hotline, so a member of the beekeeping community can collect them.

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Lethbridge Bee Enthusiasts began approximately one year ago, with the initial idea of supporting each other as hobbyists. But Sherbut said it has also attracted members who are just interested in bees. The group meets monthly and hears from guest speakers.

For Sherbut and her husband beekeeping began as a business in British Columbia, but after two seasons they decided not to continue as commercial beekeepers but kept up the hobby, with two hives. She doesn’t recommend people get into it for the honey, as that’s only a small piece of it.

“I’ve gotten to know a lot more about plants and gardening and what’s blooming when and following the cycles and following the weather,” she said. “It just kind of keeps me a little more in touch with what’s going on with the environment. But it’s also really a lot of fun to introduce people to it and teach them more about these insects.”

There has been growing awareness of vastly reduced numbers of wild bees, which are important for pollination, but that’s not the reason to start a hive of domesticated honey bees, Sherbut added.

When calling the swarm line at 403-393-2058, the operator will want to know the location, whether it’s public or private property (it should be the property owner who calls, Sherbut stresses) and how high off the ground they are.

“They will often land on a fence post, or a tree or a power line, something like that. Wherever they are, take a note of how high up they are so that the beekeeper knows if they need to bring a ladder and so on,” she explained. The operator has a list of contacts, and will get in touch with a beekeeper who can collect them. Once a swarm leaves the hive, they no longer belong to their original keeper.

“We do our best to manage our hives so that they don’t swarm. But once they do go it’s the rule of the Wild West. You just collect them as you can.”