Heat brings swarm — bees in flyby

Keeper says horde that buzzed Parnell an unseasonal sight

The balmy summer may be the reason that bees are continuing to swarm later than usual. Westmere beekeeper Chris Mellers said bees in New Zealand usually ceased swarming before the end of December each year, but this summer they were still doing it. He said this might be because of warm, dry weather or the availability of flowers that bees liked.

“The floral abundance — it has been quite a good season in terms of flora. Pohutukawa has been going really well this year.”

Mellers was approached after office workers in Parnell noticed a swarm of bees streaming past their building yesterday.

The insect horde began winging its way past premises in Eglon St about 8.45am.

“My colleagues noticed it first,” said Shirley Bisschoff.

“We have got these really big windows. We are on the first floor.

“There were thousands and thousands of bees. It took about 10 minutes for them to fly past, towards Fraser Park.”

Bisschoff said no one had ventured out to see where the bees had settled. “Safer inside,” she said. Mellers said he’d had a few calls in the last few days.

“I had one this morning but it was wasps. They don’t swarm like bees.

“It’s more 50 or 60 wasps rather than 50,000-plus bees.” He referred the caller to a pest controller.

Mellers said swarming bees didn’t usually sting people because they were “drunk” on honey.

The website beeswarm.co.nz, run by a group of beekeepers, says swarming occurs in spring and is a natural event in the life of a bee colony.

“It occurs when food sources are readily available and the bee numbers are rapidly increasing.

“Bees swarm to multiply the number of hives.

“A trigger for this is that the numbers in the hive increase and things get crowded.

“The hive is aware of the seasonal change and that spring is the best time to swarm, so a new hive has time to become established over spring and summer.

“Bees typically swarm in New Zealand between October and December.”