Bees swarm pickup truck in downtown Winnipeg

So this happened yesterday in downtown Winnipeg as Ed Wesa was walking by.

Tens of thousands of bees swarmed a pickup truck.

Beekeeper Chris Kirouac, with Beeproject Apiaries was called in. He explained on his Instagram account that this is the most natural thing and most calm thing for bees to be doing when they swarm.

Today we got a call about a swarm in the downtown. Swarming is how bees naturally split + multiply colony numbers. This amazing sight can, at first, intimidate those who do not understand the nature of a swarm. But, fear not, swarming is the most docile state of a hive. As the bees leave their original hive, they escort their mother queen to a landing site, often on an exposed location such as a branch, an overhang or, in this case, the side of a vehicle. From here, scout bees go out searching out a suitable location for a new hive site. Generally speaking, the site their looking for will provide shelter from the elements and space for the colony to grow in + store their food. When possible, we try to catch the swarm when it is in its first (exposed) location. If the queen can successfully be caught, the majority of the workers will willingly follow. This group of bees can be placed in a hive and added to our apiary. These bees will be joining our hives near Gimli. Check out the video that Metro News Winnipeg caught while this “catch” was in progress on their website! (Link in profile!) Not seen from this angle: the 4 year old sitting on my lap. Not kidding… Swarms are docile! 📸: Metro News Winnipeg #pegcitybuzz #swarm #urbanbeekeeping #howitworks #ilovemyjob #winnipeg

A photo posted by Beeproject Apiaries (@beeprojectca) on

 

h/t: Ed Wesa 

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Peg Fong is also in recovery from newspapers

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