ALAMOSA – An estimated swarm of 20,000-25,000 honeybees were collected near the corner of Main and San Juan here around noon Wednesday.
Beekeeper Devin Haynie said the bees likely came from a natural hive in the downtown area and were first seen on a chimney at The Hub operated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley at Sixth and San Juan. He would not disclose the location of the natural hive.
Fittingly, a sign posted in front of The Hub states “Save the Bees” by spreading wildflowers in a “Generation Wild” promotion. Generation Wild is a movement by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to encourage kids to plant wildflowers to help save bees with over 100,000 packets of seeds distributed statewide.
Haynie explained that it’s normal for a hive to divide and move to a new location as part of their natural reproduction cycle and can do so up to three times per year. He has been a registered beekeeper for about eight years.
Before forming a swarm, bees “gorge themselves on resources to produce honey,” he explained, thereby limiting the distance they and the queen bee can fly. Honey-engorged bees weigh in at about 10,000 bees per pound, Haynie said, and he estimates he collected about two and one-half pounds of bees, therefore netting around 25,000 bees.
The swarm is carefully collected into a transfer box and doesn’t typically have as much protective instinct while forming a new colony, he said. He recalls collecting bee swarms in that general vicinity at least three times in recent years. Bees are then transferred to a new hive.
Haynie said this swarm was adopted by fellow Alamosa beekeeper Aaron Miltenberger, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs, who lost his hive over this past winter. Both Haynie and Miltenberger are contacts for the bee swarm hotline operated by the Colorado State Beekeepers Association (CSBA), primarily taking calls in Alamosa, Conejos and Costilla counties.
Haynie had a similar call earlier this week for a bee swarm at the Rio Grande Farm Park in East Alamosa. He encouraged residents who encounter a bee swarm to call the hotline rather than attempt to kill the bees, noting their importance in the pollination of plants, including food production.
The hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES (844-779-2337) or visit the CSBA website at https://coloradobeekeepers.org/.
CSBA encourages people to support local beekeepers by purchasing locally crafted bee products including honey, propolis, pollen and wax. Local farmer’s markets are a great location to find honey and other bee products.
