Individual baby bees are born each day throughout most of the year, but bees are a colony of many individual bees also known as a super organism. This means that one bee can not live alone, but must be a part of a greater colony itself for survival. If we think about it, early humans used to live this way as well. We helped to feed, protect and support one another as part of our survival in the world as the bees still do. In the early spring when flowers are bursting with pollen and fresh nectar, the bees begin their process of birthing a new colony. Only healthy hives swarm, and anywhere from 1/3 to 3/4ths of the colony leaves with the queen. The colony will only swarm if they are leaving behind plenty of honey, nectar and pollen.
The bees are so selfless that they leave behind their home, food, and young bees so that a newly born queen can have a fresh start. The bees that leave in the swarm have their honey crops (also called honey stomachs, but it is not a stomach because there is no digestion) full of about a 3 day supply of honey. They will swarm out of the hive and land on a nearby branch, car, bicycle or whatever they can find. At this time, it looks like a bee tornado and it looks scary, but the bees are in quite a calm state. They do not want to sting you because they have no hive to defend. They are quite gentle when in the swarm state. If the swarm is not re-homed, there is about an 80% chance they will not survive.
What do you do if you see a swarm of bees?
- Stay calm. The bees are very gentle in this state and do not want to sting you.
- Do not spray them. They will die, you will anger them and also a beekeeper will not be able to save them.
- Call a beekeeper. You can find one through searching for your local beekeepers association or post on a social media account and someone will help you find one.
- Stand back and enjoy the magical presence of the swarm. They will be moving in large circles sometimes 40 feet wide and 30 feet tall. They will not run into you or one another, and it is a magical thing to experience.