With spring in full swing, bees are busy pollinating blooming flowers, which can sometimes disrupt their human neighbours.

Fred Camphor, a local beekeeper, has urged the public not to kill them, but to call a beekeeper to help relocate these essential creatures safely.

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“Bees swarming off is a natural honey bee reproductive process where the old queen and about two-thirds of the worker bees leave their original colony to start a new one,” Camphor said.

He further shared that the swarm forms a temporary cluster, where they rest for some time, for just a day or shorter.

During this time scout bees search for a new nesting site, and then the entire group flies to the chosen location.

Here they establish a new nest and start building combs typically in trees, rock crevices, or structures like wall voids.

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Bees are an essential part to the ecosystem that help fruit, plants and vegetables to grow and also produce honey.

Here’s what you can do if you hear a persistent buzz:

• Stay calm and keep pets and children away from the area. African honey bees are poisonous and carry a venom in their sting that is very painful. If you are allergic to the sting, it may even be lethal.
• Don’t disturb the bees by spraying them with water or pesticides, as this may lead to an attack from the worker bees and then make it harder for beekeepers to remove the swarm.
• Identify the bees: Swarms are typically large groups of flying honey bees that will eventually cluster on a tree limb, shrub, or other object.
• Take photos to show the location of the swarm, how high it is off the ground, and how easy or difficult it may be to get to them. Be prepared to forward these to a beekeeper so he or she can plan how to remove it.
• Contact a local beekeeper: He could safely collect the swarm and re-home the bees, which is a positive thing for the bee population and for nature.

Camphor removes bees free of charge and residents who are in need of help may contact him on 082 445 0498.