Swarm chasers return runaways to hives

When half or more of your honeybees have deserted the hive and are lingering nearby, who ya gonna call? Swarm chasers can provide quick help to fellow beekeepers, keeping them from getting stung literally and financially.

“A swarm is the division of the honeybee colony into two parts,” said Donald Lewis, a professor and entomologist with Iowa State University.

“One part of the colony will stay where they’ll continue to grow, reproduce and make honey. The swarm leaves the colony in search of a place to set up elsewhere.”

Swarming generally occurs because the colony is crowded, or it could be caused by genetics, Lewis said.

“There is a predisposition in some bee strains that makes it more likely for them to do that,” he said.

Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of a new queen pushing the old queen out. “The old queen would go with the swarm, taking half the existing colony and all the honey they can carry when they depart.”

A swarm generally flies a short distance and then hangs out on tree limbs, stop signs, the side of a house or perhaps in a playground, Lewis said.

“They’ll wait for the scouts to return and tell them where their new location will be.”

The likelihood that a swarm can become a thriving feral bee colony depends primarily on where their new home is, Lewis said.

“Here in the Midwest, if the swarm cannot get inside a protected location, they’re not likely to make it through the winter.”

Beekeepers can prevent losing a colony by dividing it ahead of time; by re-capturing the swarm cluster and placing it in a new hive; or by buying a honeybee variety known for its low tendency to swarm, Lewis said.

Dan Maxwell, a beekeeper from Freeland, Washington, frequently responds to calls requesting help to remove swarms.

Swarm clusters on limbs or branches can easily be dropped or shaken into a box, said Maxwell, who often uses a vacuum with a suction setting that doesn’t harm the bees.

Unless provoked, bees seldom sting when they swarm, he said, because they’ve gorged themselves on honey to start the new hive.

If you do see a swarm, don’t panic, throw rocks at it or spray it with an insecticide, Lewis said.

“Simply give them a wide berth and chances are, they’ll be gone in a day or two.”