SAN ANTONIO – It’s bee swarming season in Texas and that means you might see some swarms around town — but it’s a good thing!
There have been reports of nature’s pollinators seen swarming around the city in the last few weeks.
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Swarming is the method honey bees use to reproduce and it’s not uncommon to see them around South Texas.
Gary Rankin, owner of the apiary The Bee Place, previously told KSAT that “once a colony of bees reaches the maximum capacity of a current living space (think: filling the cavity of a hollow in a tree with honeycomb and bees) and there are ample resources available, such as plenty of food-producing blooms in the spring, the colony receives signals from this growth state that they are healthy enough to reproduce.”
Swarm season typically occurs between spring and early summer, according to Bee Built.
Rankin said this time of year, swarms are “very common” in our area.
If you see a swarm, you can call a local beekeeper to come and take a look but most likely the swarm will move on in a few hours. However, the swarm will sometimes stay in one spot for up to 24 hours.
“When honey bees are swarming, they are not nearly as defensive as they are around their hive because they are not protecting brood (developing young bees) or honey stores,” according to Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC).
Even though the bees might not be as defensive, it’s best to leave them alone.
“Do not spray the swarm with an insecticide or attempt to destroy it. This actually may agitate the bees and increase the likelihood of being stung,” HGIC reported.
Honey bee populations have seen dramatic declines in population over the last several years due, in part, to things like Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which makes protecting them extremely important.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes CCD as a “phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen.”
“An array of pests, diseases, and environmental stresses have also caused significant losses for beekeepers; therefore, bee swarms should be protected rather than destroyed,” HGIC states.
If a swarm is in an area of your property that causes a safety hazard and it needs to be removed, contact a local beekeeper.