Swarm of bees rescued from downtown tree
Posted July 7, 2016 3:35 pm.
Last Updated July 7, 2016 8:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Passersby were treated to a curious sight at Bay and College streets on Thursday afternoon as thousands of honeybees swarmed a small tree on the sidewalk.
Bruce Richardson with Ontario Bee Rescue was called to round them up. He said the bees were probably “branching out” from their existing colony.
“If they get too big for the space they’re in, three-quarters of the bees and the queen will leave the hive and it’s called a swarm. It’s part of their natural growth,” Richardson said.
“They basically go somewhere — like on a building or a tree or your car or your fence — and they just ball up. You’ll see a big ball o’ bees, about 40,000 bees.”
Richardson used a scent to lure the bees into a bucket and then scooped them into a hive in the back of his truck.
They are now headed to Meadowlily Farm in London.
No one was stung during the rescue.
