This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Two amateur beekeepers witnessed a natural phenomenon in Longmont on Wednesday May 24th as over 20,000 honey bees took to the skies in search of a new home. Jeff and Zac have only recently taken up beekeeping as a hobby and told the Longmont Observer they just happened to be in the right place at the right time to witness the event.
"We happened to be doing some maintenance at the hive when the bees swarmed. The hive is next to an orchard, so we had the unique experience of watching the bees leave the hive, swarm and then find a safe place to land. We'd typically hear about a swarm through a hotline, but this time the bees called us!"
The bees swarmed for about 10 minutes before settling on a nearby tree branch. Jeff and Zac managed to film the amazing event but reassured people that although potentially scary, a swarm of bees is completely natural.
"When a colony outgrows its hive, a queen and some of her bees will leave and split the hive into two colonies. This may be the original queen or a newly-hatched virgin queen."
They also went on to explain how they were able to capture the swarm and transfer them into one of their own new hives.
"Swarmed bees have one goal - finding a safe place to live. This makes them extremely docile and easy to capture. A few shakes of the branch and we had another full hive box."
Jeff and Zac talked to us about how they got involved in the hobby.
"Beekeeping was something we were always interested in, as were bees as a species. We decided to give it a try after taking an introductory beekeeping class at Dakota Bees in Wheat Ridge. We mentored under Beth Conrey, owner of Bee Squared Apiaries and vice president of the Boulder Country Beekeepers Association, and then purchased our own hive and colony. Anyone can keep bees with a little time and practice. As a writer and biochemist, we're proof of that!"
You can follow their journey as they learn more about bees first hand on their Instagram page Beeyond buzzd.
The Boulder County Beekeepers' Association has the following advice if you see a swarm.
Swarming is a natural part of the honey bee reproductive cycle. If you’re lucky enough to see a swarm-in-progress or to find one in a bush or tree, please call your local swarm hotline to connect with a beekeeper willing to collect it.
Boulder County Swarm Hotline: 1-844-779-2337
Denver Metro Swarm Hotline: 1-844-779-2337
Northern Colorado Swarm Hotline: 1-844-779-2337
(Berthoud, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland)
For bee removal from a building or structure:
Tim Brod 303-514-9257
Miles McGaughey 720-771-4304
Marcia Skaro 303-437-8932
Bob Thayer 303-717-1010
JoAnn Vigil 303-775-5639
Note: A swarm that has started to colonize a building or structure is trickier to remove than one that hasn’t, and removal will require the services of an experienced beekeeper.
