Tis the Season for a Swarm of Honeybees

WoollyShire's resident beekeeper, Tommy, has to be the luckiest beekeeper around. Within a year, Tommy has caught two swarms of honeybees. My guess is the bees are gossiping around the water cooler about how Tommy's sugar water is the sweetest in Suffolk, Virginia.

By the way, we only have one beekeeper suit and that isn't me in the suit. So I either fell and bumped my head or I am drinking the kool-aid again. I practiced my army low crawl and tried to melt into the earth to get these photos. I am impressed not even one honeybee wanted to take my soul.

So why do honeybees swarm? And why do the bees come to WoollyShire Farm?

First off, swarming of bees is a natural process. You are welcome to run as if King Kong has moved to town but the bee swarm is more interested in finding a new home instead of becoming kamikaze pilots.

So as the number of bees in a hive grows, space in that uptown beehive is lacking. The old queen wants to spread her wings and move on to a slower pace of life. With her royal jelly in tow, she brings 4,999 of her closest friends and heads to the farm she saw on the retirement brochure. As a parting gift to the new queen she is leaving behind, the old queen and her loyal subjects gorge on honey. Because a full bee is a happy bee.

So what is Tommy the beekeeper doing?

Besides putting my life at risk (remember, I don't have a suit), he is using his keen eye on trying to find the queen. Because once you have the queen, the 4,999 closest friends will follow. He brushes them off into his Brushy Mountain Bee Farm box in hopes of winning the queen's heart.

Love happens every day at WoollyShire. Pheromones are in the air and the queen took the bait.

If you happen to see a swarm of bees, do not break out the can of death. Call your friendly, neighborhood beekeeper and they will be happy to remove the bees for you. Heck, they might even bring you a jar of honey.

'Tis the Season for a Swarm of Honeybees' is dedicated to our special buzzing insect fearing friend, Paul. I am sure this article seals the deal that he will never visit our farm again.