Expert: Spring swarms? Leave them 'bee'!

SAINT LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - Over the next month you may see colonies of honey bees on the move. Experts say these spring swarms are harmless.

"Really that's when they are most docile," points out Clayton Lee, Past President Emeritus for the Missouri State Beekeepers Association. Lee says some people don't realize that, when they see a huge clump of bees in a tree. "Some of them panic and they'll spray them with an insecticide."

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Lee says you can just leave them be. "99.9% percent of the time they're just in a holding pattern, they're just hanging out. Once in a while they'll stay there for a little bit, but usually they'll have scout bees that are looking for a home, and they're just taking a break on a branch."

He says it's a good sign to see swarms. It means there are healthy bee colonies in the area, doing so well, they are multiplying

If you're concerned, Lee says you can always contact a local beekeeper to move them. CLICK HERE for a link to the Missouri State Beekeepers Association.

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