Honey beas

[mrs scoop]

Honey Beas, a swarm a day at the moment outside my shop on Melbourne grove...

Come and get them

[mynamehere]

All healthy honeybees will try and swarm at least once a year, usually between May and July. It is the natural means by which honeybees establish new colonies to multiply.

Urban beekeepers try and prevent their bees from swarming by anticipating when they want to swarm, and splitting the colony before the bees have chance to swarm. However, bees don't give us much notice, so the occasional swarm gets away.

Swarms are harmless if left alone, because they have no home, young or honey to protect. They both a cluster around the queen, and scout bees go find a suitable place to live. Once they've found somewhere, they'll go.

"Help, I have a swarm!"... or do you? Bees, bumblebees and wasps often get confused for one another.

Are they wasps?

Are they bright yellow with black stripes? Very smooth mainly yellow with black stripes? Is it in the roof of your house? Are they coming from a round nest in a tree? Is there a nest in the shed? Do they have a high pitched buzz? Are they after all things sweet? Then these are probably Wasps and the LBKA will not collect or remove them.

Are they another type of bee?

Bumblebees are larger, fluffier and rounder than honey bees. They don't generally sting or swarm. If they are living in the ground, in a compost heap, in chimneys or under decking then it is best to leave them alone if possible.

Solitary Bees, they are harmless and as their name suggest live more or less alone. If there are lots of small bees popping in and out of the wall or very small holes in the ground, if they have a reddy/brown bottom or if they almost black, they are probably solitary bees?

The LBKA will not collect or remove bumblebees or solitary bees.

If they are not wasps, bumble bees or solitary bees, and have settled in large numbers on a building, post, bush or tree they could well be a swarm of honeybees. If this is the case, then the LBKA can help collect a swarm. The LBKA swarm help line is 07922 147379 or call our Swarm Coordinator on 07864 933 266.

Once you have called a collector remain calm, leave the swarm alone, make sure everyone is away from the swarm and wait for a swarm collector to arrive. This may well be in the evening but swarms will happily sit quietly for hours even days so be patient.

The LBKA does not charge for removing swarms. And there is always a happy ending because the LBKA takes in swarms makes sure they are free of disease and then allocates to new LBKA bee keepers.

[mrs scoop]

Oh gosh thanks for all the info! I love honey Beas and did know a lot about them having had many a rogue swarm outside my shop... No good for biz though!

[steveo]

Does she mean honey beeeeeees?

Or honey bears? A swarm of which prove tricky

[jimbo1964]

Bees I think.

[mrs scoop]

Honey bears would be cool too

[Salsaboy]

Not in a swarm though.

[mrs scoop]

Might be a riot!

[PaulK]

mrs scoop Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Oh gosh thanks for all the info! I love honey Beas

> and did know a lot about them having had many a

> rogue swarm outside my shop... No good for biz

> though!

Neither is the sour faced cow behind the counter

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

That's a really crass comment, PaulK, and not relevant to the thread.

[bluecanary]

Oh no! I couldn't bear it!

[the-e-dealer]

Honey Boas?

[henryb]

Isn't there an old saying "A swarm of bees in May is worth a bail of hay; in June a silver spoon but July it isn't worth a fly." or something. So you are lucky.

[Dulwichmudlark]

Spot on refers to honey crops

[mrs scoop]

Well another one today, just being collected...

[Dulwichmudlark]

Collecting there own bees lol

[mrs scoop]

Why do they keep swarming?

[Penguin68]

Bees swarm when the hive becomes over-crowded, and when there are new queens available - I believe the old queen leaves the hive with her followers, leaving it to a new queen. Worker bees judge when the hive is becoming over-crowded and resolve this by feeding selected larvae with 'royal jelly' to turn them into queens. Any bee (other than a male drone) carries in the egg a regal crown and sceptre, it is a special diet which allows them to grow.

[mrs scoop]

Do the keepers not have any control over how many queens there are? 4 swarms in as many days!...

[Dulwichmudlark]

Yep all good beekeeper should have means of controlling swarms even thou not full proof

[mrs scoop]

Well here comes another one!

[inkyjunior1]

Hi yes indeed walked out that way nothing came back from supermarket road filled with a swarm of them.

out again 1 hour later to clever ladies in bee suits got nest down was in tree.

and attempting remove all them honey bees.

off that way now see if more around.

rather hair raising everyone walked ducked down to avoid being stung.

[Penguin68]

Do the keepers not have any control over how many queens there are? 4 swarms in as many days!...

I assume from 4 hives - very possibly not controlled by the same beekeeper. Swarming is how you propogate (increase) the number of hives and hence honey production. If bees are increasing this is a very good sign - many hives have been in distress with varoa.

[mrs scoop]

I believe it's only one hive

[3 little piggies]

I must pop along for a scoop and a look!