From swarming season to hairy situations, this month’s In The News is a busy one! What is a swarm of bees and why do they swarm? Ever see a big dark cloud like a group of bees in the sky? How about many bees on a structure, like a lamp post? Those are what we call a swarm! During spring/ summer, a honey bee hive can drastically grow in size. This commonly leads to the colony outgrows the space of the hive and induces a swarm. The current queen and around 60% of the bees leave the hive to start a new colony somewhere else, while the bees that are hanging out stay and raise a new queen. A New Form of Car Trouble 
While most swarms pick trees for temporary homes during swarming, this group of bees went for a bit more of a unique option. On June 12th, Shirley Taylor was left carless after a swarm of 20,000 bees took fancy to her car. The story is still playing out, but a beekeeper was called to the location, and the only thing that can be done is an attempt to coax the bees out of the car with larva and into a new home. If the bees stay put and Shirley wants her car back, the bees may have to be exterminated. You have the see the pictures of Shirley’s car for yourself!? Follow the story here. Bees Looking for a Bargain A 30,000 bee swarm attended a yard sale in the UK, frightening attendees. The wild swarm was just passing through but decided to set up hive under one of the seller’s tables. Witnesses say the swarm was friendly, but the owner of the table did not take any chances and hid in her car until a local beekeeper arrived to move the swarm. Watch the video of the swarm here. Rush Hour Takes a Stand Still for Swarm Check out a video of pedestrians ducking and diving from insects as a swarm takes Greenwich Church Street. A swarm of about 30,000 bees stunned London goers, as folks were unsure what was going on. The swarm went on for about an hour until the swarm took to a traffic light post. A local beekeeper was called, and after a few hours was able to remove the swarm from the traffic light and successfully relocate them. Carly’s Care2 Interview 
From being B corp certified, working with sustainable and small-scale beekeepers, and educating the masses on the importance of bees, Carly, our founder, is showing how one individual can have a mass impact on the saving of our pollinators. Read more about our company’s work, Carly’s back story, and how you can help fight to save the bees in Carly’s latest interview at Care2. Cleaning up a Hairy Situation During the process of collecting nectar, bees get covered in pollen, which sticks to the tiny hairs on their body, including their eyes. But how do they get clean? A majority of the work is done with their legs, pushing the pollen into pollen pockets (thick hair) on their legs. This doesn’t take long though! Research at Georgia Tech has shown that their grooming process is extremely efficient, shedding over 15000 pollen grains in 2 minutes. Researchers are hoping to relay these findings to everyday use, using similar techniques practiced by bees for everyday purposes. How Saving the Bees is Saving The Homeless 
Could beekeeping help the homeless reintegrate into society? Organizers of the Accueil Bonneau honey program have already seen success with it! Beekeeping acts as therapy for them, requiring the participants to focus and pay attention to their work. The experience also eases the men, ages 25 and up, into the socializing again, teaching them how to be calm and comfortable in social settings. While it is only in Montreal with a small group of homeless men, we hope that the success seen here will influence the adaptation of the program across the country!
While most swarms pick trees for temporary homes during swarming, this group of bees went for a bit more of a unique option. On June 12th, Shirley Taylor was left carless after a swarm of 20,000 bees took fancy to her car. The story is still playing out, but a beekeeper was called to the location, and the only thing that can be done is an attempt to coax the bees out of the car with larva and into a new home. If the bees stay put and Shirley wants her car back, the bees may have to be exterminated. You have the see the pictures of Shirley’s car for yourself!? Follow the story here. Bees Looking for a Bargain A 30,000 bee swarm attended a yard sale in the UK, frightening attendees. The wild swarm was just passing through but decided to set up hive under one of the seller’s tables. Witnesses say the swarm was friendly, but the owner of the table did not take any chances and hid in her car until a local beekeeper arrived to move the swarm. Watch the video of the swarm here. Rush Hour Takes a Stand Still for Swarm Check out a video of pedestrians ducking and diving from insects as a swarm takes Greenwich Church Street. A swarm of about 30,000 bees stunned London goers, as folks were unsure what was going on. The swarm went on for about an hour until the swarm took to a traffic light post. A local beekeeper was called, and after a few hours was able to remove the swarm from the traffic light and successfully relocate them. Carly’s Care2 Interview From being B corp certified, working with sustainable and small-scale beekeepers, and educating the masses on the importance of bees, Carly, our founder, is showing how one individual can have a mass impact on the saving of our pollinators. Read more about our company’s work, Carly’s back story, and how you can help fight to save the bees in Carly’s latest interview at Care2. Cleaning up a Hairy Situation During the process of collecting nectar, bees get covered in pollen, which sticks to the tiny hairs on their body, including their eyes. But how do they get clean? A majority of the work is done with their legs, pushing the pollen into pollen pockets (thick hair) on their legs. This doesn’t take long though! Research at Georgia Tech has shown that their grooming process is extremely efficient, shedding over 15000 pollen grains in 2 minutes. Researchers are hoping to relay these findings to everyday use, using similar techniques practiced by bees for everyday purposes. How Saving the Bees is Saving The Homeless Could beekeeping help the homeless reintegrate into society? Organizers of the Accueil Bonneau honey program have already seen success with it! Beekeeping acts as therapy for them, requiring the participants to focus and pay attention to their work. The experience also eases the men, ages 25 and up, into the socializing again, teaching them how to be calm and comfortable in social settings. While it is only in Montreal with a small group of homeless men, we hope that the success seen here will influence the adaptation of the program across the country! 
