Yesterday a swarm of bees relocated onto a small tree in our Greensboro backyard. What do you do when 10,000 bees come your way? You call a Guilford County beekeeper (website, here). Right on the beekeepers' website, they have a link where you can contact a member near you to relocate a swarm of honeybees. They even help you identify what kind of bees are swarming.
The above photo shows Larry the Beekeeper capturing our swarm to relocate to his property. It took Larry about 45 minutes to get all 10,000 bees, including the queen. He did not get stung once, nor did we, and we were very close. Larry was very helpful in answering all of our questions about catching bees, why they swarm, how they decide it is time to leave their initial hive, and on and on and on. Larry belongs to the beekeepers groups in three counties and was the first to respond to our call. We called three keepers. All three wanted them! If you have a swarm on your property, please do not spray them. Call a beekeeper. They will gladly relocate the hive for you. Larry first started keeping bees 38 years ago. Having been raised in eastern Guilford County, in farm country, he learned a lot about gardening and the importance of pollinators. He wants his children and grandchildren to learn the value of sustainable agriculture, which requires sustaining pollinators! Thank you, Larry. We are confident you will take good care of our bees.
So wonderful that you can have adventures without every leaving your house!
Posted by: Katja Brown | Thursday, April 09, 2020 at 08:12 AM
Very useful.
Posted by: William Kendall | Thursday, April 09, 2020 at 06:23 PM