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A swarm of bees in Spring TX!!!

By
Real Estate Agent with Results Realty

A bee swarm in Spring TXWe recently walked out our front door to see what we thought was a GIANT beehive in our small oak tree in the front yard. My first inclination was to grab a bottle of bug spray. Now that was my inclination but my husband happened to know of a bee keeper so we called him instead.

I must say watching him move the swarm to a new home was quite a learning experience. Yes that was a swarm in our tree; not a hive. They were actually swarming over an old bird nest. It appears that they have been kicked out of their prior home so these worker bees went with their queen to find a new home. I for one was not happy about that home being in my front yard. The bee keeper brought them over a nice 3/2/2 and helped them to get settled.

Honey bee swarms are actually not dangerous.  They are only defensive in the vicinity of their nest.  At that point they are defensive to protect their young and their food supply.  A swarm doesn't have young nor food supplies so they will usually not exhibit defensive behavior unless they are unduly provoked.  Now our son did get stung when out mowing the yard so maybe the lawn mower provoked them.  He was not taking any chances and decided to wait until the swarm was gone to finish the mowing.

I have a new appreciation for bees after talking to the bee keeper and watching the process.  I did not catch the swarm dropping but you will see one picture with the swarm in the air and the next one the swarm is on the box.

A bee swarm in Spring TX

 After getting the swarm down to the box the next step was getting them settled in to their new condo.  You can observe the bees scent-fanning at the entrance to signal the entrance to the new nest as the bees march into their new home. There is one point in the movie where you will see the screen go a little crazy as I was getting away from the bees. According to the beekeeper I was safe but I was not taking any chances.

I was amazed at how comfortable the bee keeper was around the bees. We asked him if he got stung often and he told us no.

Getting the Spring TX bee swarm settled in their new home

When you see the bee keeper pointing he is pointing out a waggle dance. The bees do a waggle dance to share information.

I was a little sad that a small group got left behind.  They huddled as a very small swarm in the tree for a few weeks and then were gone.  I hope they found a larger swarm but I'm not sure what happens to the remnant when they miss the move.

I found a website that you can go to and find a bee keeper should you find yourself with a swarm in your front yard.  After finding out how social honey bees are I'm glad that we helped them find a new condo.  I also found out that there is a shortage of honey bees in the United States so you are being ecologically green and helping our environment also.

 

Comments (29)

Ann Allen Hoover
RE/MAX Advantage South - Hoover, AL
CDPE SRES ASP e-PRO Realtor - Homes for Sale - AL

Wow Marchel, that's a lot of bees!  I love your photos and especially your slide show.....really neat!  I need to figure out how to do that.

Apr 28, 2009 02:03 PM
Shirley Parks
Sands Realty 210-414-0966 - San Antonio, TX
Broker, 210-414-0966, San Antonio TX Real Estate
Hi Marchel, that is really pretty neat and a good thing to experience. I'm so glad you did spray the poor little bees with bug spray. ~:o)
Apr 28, 2009 02:39 PM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

Marcel-- what an interesting experience... and you were so smart to find a bee keeper.  I am very alergic to bees, so if this happens in my backyard, I will know what to do. 

Apr 28, 2009 02:49 PM
c m
Colorado Springs, CO

What a great post!  I agree with all above, so happy you decided to call the beekeeper instead of reaching for the bugspray!  I don't care much for the idea of them being in my tree, but there does seem to be something happening to them, so best to preserve when we can! Great photos of the process, very interesting...

Apr 28, 2009 04:06 PM
Jason Crouch
Austin Texas Homes, LLC - Austin, TX
Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)

Marchel - Pretty cool stuff!  I don't think I have seen a real-life beekeeper in my whole life.

Apr 28, 2009 04:09 PM
William Johnson
Retired - La Jolla, CA
Retired

Ouch, What amazing pictures Marchel. I saw on  of these last year, scary.

Apr 28, 2009 05:01 PM
Jennifer Fivelsdal
JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY
Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Marchel - you did a great job documenting this.  I am so glad you did not use the spray for the bees sake as well as yours.  Bees are such an important part of the ecology and so vital to our food production.

Apr 28, 2009 05:16 PM
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

Wow, I get nervous around just one bee, not just a swarm, probably has something to do with the fact that I'm allergic, but still.

It's great to know what a beekeeper can do in this situation.

Apr 28, 2009 05:17 PM
Gail Robinson
William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT
CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT

My best friend's dad was a beekeeper and lived just two houses away, so I grew up with bees.  My grandmother used to let them crawl all over her.  She never got stung.  The bees knew us.  The only time they got nasty was when my friend's dad would take their honey.  They would get really angry and we stayed inside then.  I'm so glad you called a beekeeper.  Honey bees are so important for our crops and are dying off all over from an unknown malady.

Apr 28, 2009 05:52 PM
Maria Morton
Platinum Realty - Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Real Estate 816-560-3758

Marchel, what a fascinating story. Lucky for us you had your camera at the ready and the skill to post the unusual incident to You Tube and the Rain. Thanks!

Apr 28, 2009 05:54 PM
Bill Gassett
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Hopkinton, MA
Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate

That really is cool Marchel. Love how you incorporated the photo display for your presentation. As a kid I used to be allergic to bee stings...not a pleasant sight with a swollen body.

Apr 28, 2009 11:53 PM
Wendy Welborne-Kimery
Keller Williams-Lake Norman Mooresville,NC - Mooresville, NC

This is so cool.  I love honey!  Bees have an important role on earth.

Apr 29, 2009 12:54 AM
Kate Kate
San Diego, CA

A WAGGLE DANCE? I love the term! I've had swarms in the front yard's tree too that introduced me to bee keepers. 

  • But never heard of waggle dancing! :) kate ford
Apr 29, 2009 01:39 AM
Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing and Online Advertising Consultant
Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision - Lake Geneva, WI

Marchel,

Thanks you taught me something new.  My children, every Spring, really freak out over the bees.  It is an annual thing for us here as I try to talk to them about how to handle the bees.  I think maybe I need to read your post to them. 

I liked your video.

Apr 29, 2009 05:32 AM
Dale Baker
Baker Energy Audits and Commercial Properties Inspections - Claremont, NH
New Hampshire Relocation Real Estate Information

Howdy there Marchel

Sure am glad Y'all had a bee keeper come to help them. We need the Honey bees to be around. Way too many sure have been lost.

God Bless America

Apr 29, 2009 01:31 PM
John Cannata
214-728-0449 http://TexasLoanGuy.com - Frisco, TX
Texas Home Mortgage - Purchase or Refinance

Its odd, but bee keepers do seem to have no fear or issues with just touching a ton of bees.  Where as someone like me... cant do it.  I've never been stung before either (knock on wood).

Apr 30, 2009 04:44 PM
Diane Rice
Rice Prprty Mgmnt & Rlty, LLC, South Holland, IL - Lansing, IL
SFR, SRES, CNC

WOW!  This is AWESOME Marchel! You should submit it to the local newspaper.  I am sure they would find room in it for this, and of course this is another way to promote YOUR business while at it.

 

May 02, 2009 11:38 AM
Jim Frimmer
HomeSmart Realty West - San Diego, CA
Realtor & CDPE, Mission Valley specialist

I cant' believe I actually read all that and watched the video. I despise bees. Russel and I once had a bee hive in our chimney that we didn't know about. We went to the Poconos for a 9-day vacation and came home to a house full of bees. I still have dreams about that sometimes. I know bees are necessary, but better your yard than mine.

May 13, 2009 02:26 PM
Amanda Nicodemus
Spring Texas Keller Williams Professionals - Cypresswood - Spring, TX
Spring Texas Real Estate www.amandahomes.com

This is an incredible picture of the bee hives!  I live in Spring also and I've never seen a swarm of bees like these.  You were very smart to call the bee keeper to remove the bees safely.  With the shortage of bees in this county you helped the bee population continue to thrive.  Great Story!

May 28, 2009 06:26 AM
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Amanda,

I'm glad my husband knew of a bee keeper.  My first thought was to grab the bug spray but after my lesson in bees from the bee keeper I would have felt REALLY bad had I done that.  My husband has been buying this guys honey for years now. 

May 28, 2009 10:01 AM