This week, a large swarm of bees gathered on a bicycle on Kungsgatan in central Stockholm. One person allegedly tried to peel away the bees but immediately started getting stung and got away.
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In the end, Sweden’s Biodlares Riksförbund was called in via their swarm phone and saved the bike, something like Middle of was the first to report.
News24 have come into contact with Ann-Sofie Alfsdotter at Sweden’s National Association of Beekeepers. She is the originator of the so-called swarm telephone.
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Swarming bees can be prevented – sometimes
She explains that bee swarms occur when the bees gather to protect the queen.
– The reason why they can stick to certain objects such as a bicycle may be because they are looking for a safe and protected place where they can congregate temporarily, says Alfsdotter, and continues:
– In this case, a bicycle, especially if it is parked near vegetation. This may provide some degree of protection. When the queen settles in a spot, the other bees will gather around her to protect her.
If the hive becomes too crowded, the bees get out and look for a new home, says Alfsdotter.
As a private person, unfortunately, there is not much you can do to prevent a bee swarm. Alfsdotter explains that it is a natural process in the bees and that it cannot always be counteracted. However, if you are a beekeeper, there are some tricks.
– For a beekeeper, there are several ways to prevent bees from swarming. Some ways are to give the bees plenty of room in the hive, make branches or remove swarm cells, i.e. cells created by the bees to attract new queens, says Alfsdotter.
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The swarm phone
If you discover that bees have swarmed around your bicycle, or any other object, you should call the swarm telephone.
– You will then get to a free and automatic telephone service from Sweden’s Beekeepers National Association. There, the caller is asked to key in the postcode where the swarm is located. The swarm phone will then connect to a swarm catcher that entered the postcode area, Alfsdotter tells Nyheter24.
The swarm telephone can be reached on the number 0766-86 07 01.
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