Honeybee Swarms Common in Fall

Bee swarms are common in late summer and early fall. Photo by Jason Vance.By Jason Vance CherryRoad Media Honeybee swarms and increased bee activity around trash containers are common during late summer and early fall as colonies search for the food and shelter they need to survive winter. Jeff Whitworth, Kansas State University crop entomologist, said he has received numerous questions about bee swarms and concerns the insects might be Africanized honeybees. However, most of the activity being reported involves the common European honeybee found throughout much of the United States. “Not an Africanized bee, but the common old European honeybee that we’re used to,” Whitworth said. Africanized honeybees have occasionally moved north from areas where they are established in the southern United States, but Whitworth said they have not become established in the Midwest. The two types cannot be distinguished by appearance alone. Genetic testing is required to identify Africanized bees.

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