This time of year it’s common to run across a bee swarm. In the spring, a Honeybee hive will split, with part of the hive staying behind with a young queen, and a portion of the hive joining the old queen to find a new nesting place to form a new hive. The group that leaves with the queen is called a “swarm.” If it is the first swarm of the season, it is called the “prime swarm.” Later in the season, the hive may swarm again, in what is called an afterswarm, but they are not common.
The most likely way someone might encounter a bee swarm is in a “swarm cluster,” which is where the bees, usually hundreds of them, will cluster together and appear as a group to be hanging from a branch or along a branch and the trunk of a tree.
Bee Swarms in the Verde Valley
Last week, there was a bee swarm reported in Clarkdale, which we’ve included photos of. It stayed put for a couple days, then moved on without requiring removal. It’s fascinating to see how the swarming bees hang together when they’re in a cluster.
Bee Swarm Removal
Most of the time, a bee swarm is pretty docile and will move on in a day or two, but if you’re concerned about your safety, or are concerned about children or pets disturbing the swarm, then call us about a bee swarm removal. We also remove bee hives and you can use our coupon to get a free estimate on beehive removal.
