Humans tend to get along great with cuddly creatures like dogs and cats, but we don't always take as kindly to the creepy-crawly creatures of the world.
A swarm of bees, for example, is a sight terrifying enough to send anyone into a tailspin!
After all, if most folks encountered a swarm of bees, instinct would tell them to turn tail and run in the opposite direction.
In fact, people don't realize that bees almost never mean us any harm. Swarming is natural and healthy bee behavior!
But really, bees are vital to the health of the planet and to keeping humans healthy and fed.
Swarming helps them reproduce and stay healthy, even if it looks like a scary sting-fest to us.
The truth is, if you don't bother bees, they won't bother you.
Here with a few additional tips on bee swarms is honey producer Molly's Bees Honey, which has lots of awesome advice on what to do if you encounter a bee swarm this spring.
The dedicated staff behind Molly's Bees Honey has an important message about bee swarms.
The apiary, which makes its own honey out of a base in Illinois, knows as much about swarms as anyone.
They recently took to Facebook to issue a warning about disturbing swarms.
The photo above was captured by Tim Spanjer. I accrued 75,000 reactions on Facebook, along with a whopping 250,000 shares.
The photo, snapped in Georgia, shows exactly what a bee swarm in action looks like.
On the subject, the apiary writes:
Spring is only three weeks away!
That means that the bees will be preparing to swarm soon.
Swarming is the way that hives naturally reproduce.
When a hive is strong enough and has a good population of bees, they will produce a new Queen, then the old queen will leave the hive and take half of the bees with her, leaving the new queen and the remaining bees behind.
If you happen to see a swarm of bees, DO NOT PANIC!
A swarm of bees is very docile, as they have no hive, no eggs and no honey to protect.
DO NOT spray them with pesticides!
PLEASE DO call your local beekeeper’s association and they will be more than happy to send a beekeeper to collect the bees.
Once collected, the beekeeper will put them into a hive and help them establish a new colony.
In other words, bees in a swarm might look like a whole heap of nasty, but they're actually at their most vulnerable.
Honeybees die when they sting, so they save it for absolutely dire situations.
If you or your kids happen to spot any this spring, just give them a wide berth and call up some local beekeepers. They'll be able to help give these healthy pollinators a safe place to build their new hive.
Be sure to SHARE this important guide if you believe in helping bees, and keep bees and people safe this spring!
