This is known to beekeepers as swarm season, when honey bees are prone to try and increase their populations by splitting off from their original hive with the queen and 60 per cent of the flying bees, to find a new home and start a new colony.

Before the bees decide to leave their hive with the old queen and look for a new home, they fill up their stomachs with honey and nectar which they will need to build honeycomb for the queen to start laying.

With their abdomens distended and full of honey and their task at hand to find a new home, they are focused on that and are not a danger to people.

Honey bee swarms have gotten a bad rap over the years due to the misconception that they would attack humans or animals. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Once the swarm has left the parent colony, it will settle to rest on a building, tree, car, etc. while the scout bees go out and look for a suitable cavity to build a new hive.

There are a couple of important things to know about honey bee swarms. First, honey bees are not native to North America and will likely perish on their own once they establish a colony without the help of a beekeeper to control their varroa mites among other threats. Second, is that a swarm is the bulk of the foraging bees of the current year鈥檚 population and as such they are a valuable resource to a beekeeper. So if you are fortunate enough to see a swarm, enjoy this marvel of nature.

Do not be afraid, they are not dangerous but they should not be approached except by an experienced and suitably equipped local beekeeper.

So if you see a swarm, the Comox Valley Beekeepers are here to help. You can contact a swarm catcher directly at comoxvalleybeeclub.com/swarm-catchers/ or contacting the Courtenay Fire Department 250-334-2513 who also have an updated swarm catchers list in their duty truck.

The Comox Valley benefits greatly from the presence of dedicated beekeepers. From farmers, back yard gardeners, fruit growers to flower lovers, everyone benefits from the pollination activity of our honey bees. Please help us help the bees, if you see a swarm please contact us so we can get them to a new home and help them do their important work for our community.