They’ve been buzzing around backyards and are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, as bees seem to be taking over Calgary.
But while the flying pollinators might make some uncomfortable, experts say not all bees are created equal.
“Sometimes people mistake honeybees for native bees and they just see bees,” says bee researcher Ron Miksha. “I think we do have more bumblebees and a few other species of bees active this year because it’s been a little cooler, rainier periods with more flowers blooming, so that helps.”
Miksha has been beekeeping his entire life, taking over the family farm honeybee colonies when he was just 16. He’s devoted his career to learning more about the insects, and most recently, studying the impact his backyard hives have on wild bee populations.
While he’s used to being surrounded by buzzing, he understands others may not be, especially when they swarm.
“I think the concern most people have is they don’t understand what a swarm is,” explains Miksha. “There are 20,000 insects in there, each one could sting a person. They could but typically swarms don’t.”
Miksha thinks an increase in swarms is what is leading to the perception there are more bees in the city this year. Swarms will occur when a colony outgrows its hive, or when it’s time to raise a new queen.
“If it were to get too crowded and the bees don’t have enough space to put more honey into the hive and they’re bringing more and more nectar,” says Miksha, “they don’t quit working just because they get crowded in the hive. Instead, they start to think about taking half the bees and flying to live somewhere else.”
Miksha says swarms shouldn’t be concerning for the public because those bees aren’t protecting anything, so they’re unlikely to sting.
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However, he does suggest calling 311, because if the swarm stays in one location for three or four days, the bees are starting to identify that spot as their new home. And if they set up camp under your deck it can be tricky to remove.
More backyard bees
Backyard hives have grown in popularity in the past two decades. Miksha says 20 years ago, there were only about 40-50 honeybee keepers in and around Calgary. Now, there are about 280.
He believes one reason for the uptick in backyard beekeepers is the push to make sure bees don’t go extinct, but Miksha says the best way to help isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
“I like to tell people that if you want to get honeybees to help the bees, you might as well get chickens to help the birds,” says Miksha. “Because people keep honeybees and they don’t pollinate the wildflowers as well as local bees do.”
At Worker and Hive Bee Supply, educator Jessie Smulders says they have seen increased interest in recent years form hive hobbyists. Smulders says education is a critical part of successful beekeeping, and people should arm themselves with knowledge heading into beekeeping.
“You learn a lot with experience,” says Smulders. “And every year it’s going to be a little bit different. A lot depends on our spring weather, how we’re seeing our colonies build coming out of winter and moving into honey flow.”
Smulders says the amount of rainfall in Calgary this summer has extended the typical swarm season by a few months with the store getting calls in August, catching beekeepers off guard.
In addition to more bee sightings, an increase of honeybees in the city can mean a decrease in food for the wild bee population. And with less food to eat, they can’t reproduce as well or as many, putting the native bee population as risk. However, different-sized bees go for different-sized flowers, so the overlap isn’t there for all species.
For those who don’t want their own hives but still want to help the black and yellow striped friends, Smulders and Miksha agree, saying putting an artificial home in your yard for local bees or planting wildflowers will help attract and feed wild bees.
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