A Canadian beekeeper has warned against underestimating the occasion of an escaped swarm.
Luc Peters – who founded Humble Bee in Hamilton, Ontario, 10 years ago – was recently called by the police to assist in rescuing several honeybee colonies after their hives fell off a trailer on a busy road in Burlington.
Luc explained: “It’s important for people to understand that honeybees are fairly gentle and really don’t bother people unless they are bothered.”
However, the experienced apiarist emphasised: “This is a rare situation where you have to keep your distance from them.”
Luc said he and his colleagues would focus on trying to identify the queen bee. They would then attempt to get the animal – which plays a crucial role in the colony – back into the hive.
He said: “The rest of the bees will follow.”
Luc admitted that the sudden appearance of a swarm consisting of tens of thousands of bees was “rather intense to see” for anyone with no relation to apiculture.
He revealed: “Sometimes we scoop them up by hand.”
The Hamilton-based beekeeper also underlined the importance of pollinators. Luc said: “Bees are absolutely vital for our survival.”
Speaking about his company’s fields of activity, he said: “Humble Bee is about providing beekeeping education to the public so people know what is happening with the bees.”
Luc added his engagement was all about keeping bees “responsibly, sustainably and in an organic way.”
The former employee of an industrial beekeeping enterprise explained: “We provide local honey, we provide hive products. We are a one-stop bee shop for everything related to beekeeping.”
At Humble Bee, colonies are managed without applying antibiotics or synthetic miticides. Luc and his team are currently responsible for hives at more than 30 locations including alvearies at Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and Hamilton’s McMaster University.
They also offer beekeeping lectures and sell various equipment such as protective gear and starter sets.
Asked by broadcaster CBC whether he was affected by getting stung, Luc just said: “I’m not fazed by it really.”
