Late October Swarm

My wife coordinates the swarm call hotline for the Albuquerque Beekeepers Association. Honeybee swarm season typically goes from March to May, sometimes early June with a few random swarms for the remainder of the summer. However, on October 6 we received a call for a small swarm in downtown Albuquerque on a residents light fixture on their porch. The bees were very docile, almost lethargic. We used a gentle vacuum to capture the bees. A swarm caught this late will not survive without the help of a beekeeper. Often they may have mites or something happened to their home to make them want to leave. However, we were able to find a home for them with a beekeeper in the east mountains. They will go into an observation hive for the beekeeper’s children to enjoy.