More Bees Keeping Bee Removers Busy

Eric Senn owns and operates ‘Eric Bee Keepin’ and Removal’. He says over the past few weeks business has picked up.

“Just about the time you see flies coming in your house is the time you start getting hot wasp and hornet calls,” said Senn.

This year Senn says there have been more bees than usual, he says a warmer spring has a lot to do with it.

Senn said, “We had a lot of fairly early swarms which is a natural ways for bees to expand is they build up when they get cramped and there is no more room, the queen will stop laying and she will take the bees and fly out to a bush and from there they will send out scouts to find a new home.”

Often times bees can be found swarming over exposed garbage cans and other area’s of ‘sweetness’.

“Anytime there are any sweet liquids around like soda, a child will spill soda or something and the bees will come right in and start eating it up,” said Senn.

Most consider bees to be a nuisance but experts say there is a misconception when it comes what’s buzzing around you.

“Wasps are predatory and they generally just eat picnic food or their natural predator of smaller insects and bees rely solely on nectar and pollen,” said Peter Chlebowski, President of UVM Beekeeping.

Chlebowski says honey bees play a critical role in the ecosystem and should be saved when possible.

Chlebowski said, “They contribute between 60 and 70 percent of all fruits and vegetables that we eat, they pollinate those and without them we would have to do that manually.”

That is where Senn comes in, he keeps all the honey bees he removes and says folks should never spray a nest.

“Even if you get rid of the bees they will continue to hatch over time because there is eggs and larva that is sealed that won’t die from the spray so they’ll still get them back,” said Senn.