Beeway swarm removal program buzzing

Niagara residents who come across a wayward swarm of bees on their property are being asked to put down the pesticide and instead pick up the phone.

Representatives from the Niagara Beeway, a local honey bee conservancy group aimed at promoting beekeeping and protecting bee populations in the particularly fertile bee habitat along the Welland Canal, fanned out to Niagara Home Hardware and Canadian Tire stores last week posting signs next to pesticide canisters, urging residents not to kill swarms of bees on their property.

Instead, should the swarm be identified as bees and not wasps or hornets, property owners should call the Beeway to have an apiarist come capture the bees, saving a swarm of the crucial pollinators amid a trend of declining populations.

“In the last four to five days we’ve been getting disastrous reports,” said apiarist and Beeway founder George Scott.

He said this year numbers have again spiked in overwinter mortality, with surviving hives now apparently dying off as they send out workers to find water.

“We’re looking at possibly our worst year ever,” said Scott, explaining the Beeway’s hopes of providing 1,000 hives to local beekeepers to offset losses have been dashed thanks to the die-off.

Scott said he is positive what is killing the bees is insecticides known as chlorinated nicotine, or neonicotinoids, finding their way into the bees’ water supply.

If someone finds a swarm of bees they can call the Beeway and one of five teams of apiarists comes out to scoop up the bees. For information call 905-834-5228 or visit www.niagarabeeway.com.

STEVE HENSCHEL METROLAND Niagara Beeway founder George Scott and beekeeping student Emma Kovacks hang a sign at the Port Colborne Home Hardware store urging people to call the honey bee conservancy group to recover swarms of honey bees.