Beekeepers in some parts of Victoria have been run off their feet in recent months removing and rehoming bees.
Tim Martin from Tower Hill Beekeeping has removed bees from an aeroplane wing, roofs, walls, compost bins, wine barrels and barbecues.
“It has been absurdly busy this year,” said Mr Martin, who has been in the line of work for nearly a decade.
“Maybe it’s weather based. Maybe the bees have had a rough few years.
“Maybe people are realising they need to call a beekeeper when in the past they would call pest controller.”
Tim Martin says it’s been absurdly busy as a beekeeper this year. (Supplied: Tim Martin)
He said while it had been a dry year, some heavy spring rain meant there had not been many flowers for the bees to get pollen and nectar from.
“Early to mid-October is usually when all the swarming usually happens,” he said.
“It is their way of repopulating.
“The old queen takes off to find a new home with 10-20 per cent of the workforce and the remaining bees make a new queen.”
Hives found in surprising places
Dean Whitehouse, an amateur apiarist from Drouin in West Gippsland, has been busy helping people with swarms of bees.
Dean Whitehouse helped remove a hive from a farmhouse wall. (Supplied: Dean Whitehouse)
His most memorable removal was a “cut-out” of a 50-year-old hive from a farmhouse in West Gippsland that took him and fellow beekeeper Darren Roylance three days.
He said when they arrived the side of the farmhouse was vibrating with bee activity.
“They had a family wedding planned and because this little cottage was the old original farm cottage on the property they wanted to have their photos in front of it,” he said.
After carefully removing the weatherboards, he was amazed to see a massive hive in the wall cavity.
Bees had built a hive in the wall of an old farmhouse. (Supplied: Dean Whitehouse)
“I actually swore quietly under my breath,” he said.
“It was a lot more extensive than I’d anticipated, and it was the most bees I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m six [feet] one, and this was floor to ceiling above my head.
“It is quite daunting. In fact, I think I was fascinated. It was a mixture of shock and fascination.”
Darren Roylance removes bees with a specialised bee vacuum. (Supplied: Darren Roylance)
To speed up the process, they used a specially made bee vacuum to remove the insects and put them into hives.
“Essentially, it is a wet and dry hardware vacuum, which has been modified to not pull the bees into the vacuum chamber,” Mr Whitehouse said.
“There is a separate chamber in between, so you need an extra hose … which houses the bees and they don’t get injured.
“They are actually sucked into a separate cavity.”
Wet weather means a quieter time
But is hasn’t been as busy this year in the wetter parts of Victoria.
Deb Rodda from Debz Beekeeping in Yackandandah in north-east Victoria doesn’t do many removals but a couple of weeks ago she took away a swarm from an awkward position: under a wheelie bin.
Deb Rodda removed a hive recently from under a wheelie bin. (Supplied: Deb Rodda)
“The bees were sort of … everywhere, which is a bit pesky when they’re not just hanging nicely in a big blob, like a football from a tree,” she said.
“I had to use a smoker and my hands to try and pick them up by the handfuls and fit them into the box.
“It took a little while, but they all eventually went in.”
Save the bees
While beekeepers do their best to rehome any unwanted hives or swarms, it can be hard and fiddly work.
Darren Roylance, a beekeeper from Rosedale in Gippsland, recently removed a hive from under a concrete verandah.
“There was only enough room to get my arm in there,” he said.
“I got 20 kilos of wild honey out of that hive.
“But I managed to take the bees away and relocate them.”
The hive removed from a West Gippsland farmhouse by Darren Roylance and Dean Whitehouse. (Supplied: Dean Whitehouse)
Mr Roylance said the worst removal he had done was in a spa.
“The people hadn’t used the spa for a long time, and some of the wood panels on the side had split off, and so the bees got inside there, and they made a hive in there,” he said.
“And of course, all the wax is stuck to all of the foam insulation that they put in the spa.
“Wow. It was a mess. It took over 10 hours to do it.”
Beekeepers say there does seem to be an increase in requests for relocation of bees instead of extermination.
They say if you have an unwanted swam arrive, you should try to contact your local beekeeping group.
“I would contact your local beekeeping club via social media, or if you are aware of any local beekeepers in your area then go to them,” Mr Whitehouse said.
