Exterminators are seeing 20 to 40 percent more swarms than they’ve ever seen, Booth said. The current estimated population in Arizona alone is 4 million to 8 million wild swarms, with anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 bees per swarm.
There might be more swarms in general, but I also see more late swarm with little chance of winter survival. This year brought a Labor Day swarm. This has changed in the past couple of decades and I wonder why.
I would also add that exterminators do not have a talent for identifying honeybee. On multiple occasions I have been called to deal with yellow jackets identified by exterminators as honeybees.
Larry Krengel
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html