13-year-old Folke Jewert is one of the people who answer the swarm telephone – a service for those who need help when they have received an unwanted visit from a swarm of bees.
– Then I pack my bee suit and a swarm box and then I go off and catch a swarm, says Folke in Efter fem.
When a group of bees and a new queen leave their original hive to form a new bee colony, they may end up right in your garden.
When a bee swarm is formed, the bees look for a new hive to settle in, and if there are suitable cavities in trees or bushes in the garden, they may choose to settle there, especially if there is also plenty of nectar and pollen from flowers and bushes in around.
But of course there are several reasons why you don’t want a swarm of bees in your garden. And if you need help getting rid of one, you can contact a beekeeper who can capture the swarm and establish the bees in a new hive.
Perhaps Sweden’s youngest beekeeper
If you find yourself in such a situation, you can call the swarm telephone, a free telephone service from the Swedish Association of Beekeepers. Namely, they can help you find a beekeeper in your area who can come and help. And if you live in Uppsala, you may get help from perhaps Sweden’s youngest beekeeper, 13-year-old Folke Jewert.
– Then I pack my bee suit and a swarm box and then I go off and catch a swarm, says Folke in Efter fem.
“Dad taught me”
For Folke, who is both a beekeeper and swarm catcher, the job is something he learned early on, and bees don’t scare him – even though he gets stung. Because both father and grandfather have been involved in beekeeping and Folke has grown up with the art of handling them.
– It started with my father teaching me beekeeping about three years ago. But then I’ve been with a little almost my whole life. So he is the one who has taught me, Folke says.