Height of bee mating season signals swarming, warns expert

They don't call it "the birds and the bees"for nothing.

Calgary's bees are busy baby-making, and as the fuzzy little insects continue to multiply, so does the likelihood of a swarm.

"Right now, we are in a swarm season," saidThomasSchweizer, vice-president of the Calgary and District BeekeepersAssociation.

"If there are too many bees in a hive, the bees find a way to split," heexplained.

Swarms occurwhen clusters of bees break off from their overpopulated hivewith a newly crowned queenin search of a new location to colonize.

Thiscan cause problems for homeowners, especially if bees establish a hivein the siding oreavestroughof a home.

311 to the rescue

Anyone who witnesses a cloud of buzzing bees can call the city's 311 serviceline and be put in touch with an expert.

The City of Calgary recentlypartnered with the beekeepersassociation to helpreduce the casualties for bees and humans alike in these sticky situations.

"In the past fiveyears, it's become really hip to have bees. Everybody wants bees, and not everybody has the same level of education," Schweizer said.

He said novice beekeepers may not have the right equipment to deal with swarms, which is where his organization can step in.

"Sometimes, it can happen that the bees start swarming, and then somebody needs to move them to prevent potential problems."

Calling 311 about a swarm will alert volunteers with the beekeepers association, who will thenbe available to transport or re-home the honeybees to a more suitable location.

With files from The Homestretch