West Seattle Bee Swarms

[Hormel]

Hi,

I would like to remind everyone that we are starting to see honeybee swarms here in the Seattle area. As a West Seattle beekeeper I would encourage people not to spray or poison the bees but rather contact myself or one of the beekeepers in the area to remove them. These swarms are helpful to us beekeepers as we can introduce them into our hives to replace losses from this particularly hard winter.

A swarm is a portion of bees and a queen that has left an overcrowded nest in search of a new home. This new home is ideally a nice place such as a hollow tree, but here in the urban environment more likely in your attic, birdhouse, or behind the roof soffits where they are more difficult to remove. These bee swarms are generally docile and cluster on a tree branch or shrub for a few days before moving on or dying off.

If you have a swarm you can contact me directly at John Woodworth (206.265.3295) or jwoodworth206 “at” gmail.com.

You can also use the list of several beekeepers at the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association swarm list who will also respond to the West Seattle area at http://pugetsoundbees.org/resources/swarm-list/

As PSBA members we do not charge for this service and relocate some of these swarms into our apiary in the Washington Park Arboretum.

I’ll try and post a picture of an example of a typical swarm also.

Thanks

John

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[dobro]

Is there a place to get raw, local (West Seattle) honey?

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[cjboffoli]

dobro: I usually see at least one bee keeper at the West Seattle Farmers Market on Sundays. Not only are the honeys delicious but the keepers are really interesting to talk to.

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[Hormel]

Yes, Krista Conner who has hives in West Seattle sells her honey at the Husky Deli. I believe the label says Hive No. 1 on it. There is a surprising amount of variety in color and taste in the honey in the area.

I don’t sell mine commercially yet but give it away for fund raisers or the local food bank. My daughter and I recently relocated a swarm from last year to downtown to the Goat Hill Giving Garden that benefits the Pike Place Senior Center.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/employees/HealthMatters/HealthyWorkplace/GivingGarden/Photos.aspx

John

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[JoB]

Hormel

i promise that if bees swarm at my place i will call you immediately….

no downside to this one.

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[ttt]

bumpin’ for the bees :-)

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[EmmyJane]

A big rave for John (Hormel). I called him to take care of some bees and he was at my house within a half hour. AND he brought honey! Thank you!

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[Genesee Hill]

Thank you. There is no chance I will spray pesticides in my yard.

The bumble bees are also too cool.

If the honey bees swarm, I avoid. If the bumble bees find a home on my property, I avoid. They do move out soon enough, anyway!

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[redblack]

we have a cottoneaster tree that is full of honey bees right now, but i don’t think it’s officially a swarm. i’m thinking it’s just the place where they go to work, right?

i just move past the tree slowly, and i have no interest in seeing them leave. once you figure out that they’re not interested in people – unless you agitate them – they’re actually good neighbors.

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[Hormel]

Redblack,

You are probably right, they are likely just working the cotteneaster really hard right now until the blackberries come in. If they are swarming they would be hanging in a large clump from a branch or clustered on the trunk. When they are working really hard both Honeybees and Bumble bees are really docile.

EmmyJane,

Good to meet you. Here are a couple of good sites on bumblebees I have used before:

http://www.bumblebee.org

http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/bumblebees_id.htm

John

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