Beekeepers urging islanders to keep a lookout for swarms
GUERNSEY’S beekeepers are appealing to islanders to keep a lookout for swarms of bees as the weather begins to warm up.
At this time of year, on a warm day, a honey bee queen will typically leave a hive with about half of the workers and the means of making a new queen, to find a good location for a new colony.
Normally this process is managed by beekeepers and new hives are provided. However, honey bees in the wild will often settle on tree branches, chimney pots or garden sheds.
Guernsey Beekeepers Association president Wayne Atkinson said this could get quite messy. ‘Sadly, we’ve had people destroy swarms,’ he said.
‘But there is quite a bit of demand for swarms from new beekeepers on the island.’
Anyone who comes across a swarm is asked to contact the association via its Facebook page, which is frequently checked by an admin team, or to call the swarm coordinator on 07911 754552.
Mr Atkinson said the travelling bees could number up to 20,000 and would typically swarm around a staging post while workers set off to find the new home.
‘Generally, they’re very mild mannered but it can be quite intimidating to find thousands of bees in your garden. If you find them in your garden, it’s best to keep children and pets inside, give the bees plenty of room and call us,’ he said.
The only swarming bee in Guernsey – and in the UK – is the European honey bee.
The GBA has previously collected swarms from every parish in the island and even from the St Peter Port docks.
