YOU MAY start to notice a definite buzz in the air as we move into spring.
The warmer weather means it's time for honey bees to start swarming. But don't panic: beekeepers are keen to let us know that this is normal and nothing to be afraid of.
In early spring the queen bee of a colony will up her egg production, laying up to 2000 a day every day. After 21 days the eggs hatch and in a strong colony they outgrow the space they occupy, whether that be a hollow tree, wall cavity in a house or a hive.
Instead of the whole colony moving to a bigger home, the colony will rear a new queen and about half the bees, and usually the old queen, will leave the colony and "swarm" in one mass to settle on a tree, letterbox, fence or anywhere the queen chooses.
The bees will then cluster around the queen while they search for a suitable new home.
Bees are essential for the environment. They pollinate about 70 per cent of the plants and crops we eat and the ones we feed to our livestock. They pollinate our flowers and, of course, they make honey, which is a huge industry world-wide.
So, are bee swarms dangerous?
"No!" says bee expert and Central Coast Amateur Beekeepers president Len Verrenkamp. "Left alone to their own devices they will not be aggressive."
Before leaving the hive, members of the swarm will gorge on honey, which makes it difficult for them to sting. And really they're only interested in finding a new home, getting their queen settled and getting back to the all-important business of making honey and hatching baby bees.
If you see masses of bees flying in the air, Len recommends walking away from the general area as quickly as possible. There's a possibility of getting a bee stuck in your hair and having it sting. The swarm will usually settle within 30 minutes.
"The queen will only fly 100 to 200 metres from the hive, then may stay for an hour to one to two days," Len said.
Once the bees have settled and are hanging on a branch or fence, just leave them alone.
- Don't hose them.
- Don't throw anything at them.
- Don't try to smoke or burn them to make them move.
- Don't spray with insecticide.
In the main it is is the European honey bee that swarms, although some native bees will also swarm.
There are about 1700 species of native bees in Australia but only about six are social and form colonies. The rest are solitary. Most native bees are stingless and very docile.
Len says most of the flying insects we see in our gardens are native bees.
So what do you do if you find a swarm?
Just leave them alone or call a swarm collector. Take a few photos from a safe distance to text to the swarm collector who will want to know where the bees are (your property, a neighbour's property or public land), how big the swarm is, how long it's been there and if anyone in the house is allergic to bee stings.
A beekeeper may charge a small fee for removing the bees - but it will be a lot less than a pest controller who will kill the bees.
Lists of swarm collectors can be found on the internet - just search for beekeepers in your area, or phone your local council and report a swarm. Councils have lists swarm collectors.
