CINCINNATI — From the side of a shed, to the branch of a tree or even inside the eves or walls of a home, honey bees are on the move in the spring as they expand their hive and colony.
As mother nature blooms and comes to life with the spring showers, honeybee hives that survived the winter are looking to grow by leaps and bounds. Flowers have much needed nutrients for pollinators and as result of their visit from flower to flower they help keep the cycle going by transferring pollen where needed.
Meanwhile, the bees' Queen is busy laying thousands of eggs each day. Each eggs transforming within roughly 21 days to become new bees, growing from twenty thousand to upwards of fifty-thousand bees in a single hive, depending on the space provided.
As the hive grows, swarming can occur.
"When a swarm shows up they’re going to form a big ball of bees on a branch it’s going to look pretty dramatic," said Phil Hucky, a member of the Southwest Ohio Beekeepers Association. "You’ll hear it before you see it and then there’s a tornado of bees around and then they’ll just congregate onto a branch it will form this big ball of bees."
In the center of the thousands of buzzing new guests in your yard is the Queen who they've followed to create a new hive.
WCPO's Craig McKee is a backyard beekeeper and went along with Hucky to visit a swarm of bees that had taken over a section of flooring of the Pinecroft Manor on the Crosley Estate.
One thing Hucky recommends if you come across one of these swarms in your own yard or even where you work is not to panic.
"Don’t spray them, they’re docile when they’re like that, they’re not likely to sting, they’re capable of stinging but not likely," Hucky said.
He emphasizes the best thing you can do is to head over to the Ohio State Beekeepers website and click on your county to find local beekeepers who are willing to come out and collect the honeybees.
"There’s a very large list of people broken up by region," Hucky said. "Local beekeepers that will come and assist you and take that hive off your hands, typically free of charge."
That's if the hive is outside your home. The price can increase if the honey bees that have taken over a wall of your home or attic space.
Each beekeeper negotiates their own fees tied to such extractions as each job is unique and some extractions can be more extensive than others.
To find a list of beekeepers in your community check out the Ohio State Beekeepers website.
Craig McKee says backyard beekeeping is a fun hobby and anyone interested in finding out more should reach out to your local beekeeping associations.
The Southwest Ohio Beekeepers Association Facebook page and the Butler County Beekeepers Association Facebook pageare great places to start to have all your questions answered.
