Apis mellifera
The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the most common species of honeybee worldwide. They are eusocial, creating perennial colonies with a single fertile female (the queen), many non-fertilized females (the workers), and a small population of males (the drones). Individual colonies can house many tens of thousands of bees.
The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the most common species of honeybee worldwide. They are eusocial, creating perennial colonies with a single fertile female (the queen), many non-fertilized females (the workers), and a small population of males (the drones). Individual colonies can house many tens of thousands of bees.
A good nest site for honeybees is a cavity large enough to accommodate the colony that is well protected from the elements, has a small entrance, and receives a certain amount of warmth from the sun. We have removed established honeybee hives from tree cavities, barn walls, attics and hollow columns. When the temperature is above 50 degrees, you will see constant activity coming and going from the entrance of the hive. We remove established honey bee hives on a case by case basis.
Swarming is a process by which a new honeybee colony is formed when the original queen bee leaves with a large group of worker bees. Swarms can contain thousands, to tens of thousands of bees. Swarming is the natural means of reproduction of honeybee colonies and typically happens in the Springtime in our area.
When a honeybee swarm emerges from a hive, they do not fly far at first. They will gather in a tree or on a branch where they cluster about the queen and send scout bees out to find suitable new nest locations. This is just an intermediate stop on their journey to find a new home, and it is not for permanent habitation. Swarm clusters will usually move on and find a suitable nesting location within a day or two.
Honeybees are not aggressive at this stage of their life cycle! Before leaving their colony, they have completely engorged themselves with honey to sustain them on their journey, and have only one goal which is to find a new nesting location for their queen. Under no circumstances should a honeybee swarm be sprayed! We will come gently capture any honeybee swarms and manage them organically for pollination and honey production.