Beekeeper’s luck: solid ball of honeybees swarms in May

In May, the anticipation of fresh spring greens gave way to a dull summer hue on the oak trees, their sheen lost to weeks of dry weather. A fleeting sense of loss hung in the air, with no rain in sight to restore the landscape’s luster.

Then a noise broke the stillness — a rising, almost mechanical hum. Looking for the source, the observer saw instead a mass of insects flowing over a line of hawthorns. A honeybee swarm swirled in a cloud before the queen, who landed imperceptibly, triggering a slow implosion. Guided by pheromones, thousands of worker bees joined her, forming a solid ball hanging precariously from a plum tree twig.

Few natural events in the benign countryside cause as much panic as a swarm, and given the tens of thousands of stinging insects involved, that reaction is not unreasonable. However, the swarm had split from its mother colony as part of the reproductive cycle and was entirely focused on finding new habitation. It had no interest in attacking people unless significantly provoked. Left alone, the swarm would harmlessly depart for its new home within days.

For a beekeeper, a settled swarm is an opportunity to fill a hive, especially valuable in early summer when there is plenty of time for the colony to establish and become productive. As the old rhyme goes, “A swarm in May is worth a load of hay.” The beekeeper once tested that idea by selling honey from a May swarm hive and was tickled when the proceeds bought a trailer full of hay bales.

Hiving an accessible swarm is surprisingly simple. Without bothering to get a bee suit — a slightly reckless move not recommended — the beekeeper approached the insects with a wicker basket and secateurs. Holding the basket beneath them, he cut the supporting twig, causing the bees to drop in with a weighty jolt, and promptly closed the lid. In the apiary, a prepared hive awaited, with a white cloth serving as a ramp to the entrance. He emptied the docile bees onto the cloth, and they dutifully crawled up into their new home. He just hoped they liked it and decided to stay.

The book “Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024” is available now at guardianbookshop.com.