Last week while looking out the kitchen window I noticed an unusually large amount of bugs swarming underneath our grove of trees. I went outside to see what they were and couldn't believe how loud the buzzing was - they were honey bees! It was a little intimidating at first, but was able to get close enough to take some pictures (Don't worry, I have a great zoom).
I did a little research online to figure out what this unusual happening was. Honey bee "swarming" happens when a single colony of bees divide in two. The new colony finds a replacement queen bee and sends out a few worker bees to find a new nesting place. This usually happens in the spring, but occasionally happens throughout the summer season. Beekeepers often catch swarms and relocate them. Honey bees are highly valued for their aid in pollination (corn and blueberry farmers, etc). An old poem says,
A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July isn't worth a fly.
After swarming, they settled in the branch of our tree and were there a few days and nights, all tightly balled up. Eventually they must have found a new nest, because they left.
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