PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Springtime means honey bee swarm season for the Portland Urban Beekeepers, but so far, the spring of 2023 hasn’t been buzzing as much as usual. 

The Portland Urban Beekeepers said typically, they respond to dozens if not hundreds of reports of swarms in the spring. That’s not the case this year. They’ve only responded to a couple. 

Communications manager for the club Jessica Anderson said they’re not sure if the decreased number of swarm reports are due to natural causes or a tech issue with new swarm reporting software the club started using this year. 

“We’re speculating that it’s a software issue for us this year. It was also a wet spring, some of the nectar was a little unusual. But we don’t have any reason to think that bees aren’t surviving the winter,” Anderson said. 

Scientists agree the weather could have a lot to do with it. 

Ramesh Sagili is an associate professor of apiculture – better known as beekeeping – at Oregon State University. Although he said there are no real statistics or hard data so far in 2023 to back it up, he agrees there have not been as many swarms in Portland and the Willamette Valley. 

He hasn’t heard of as many reports of swarms and believes the wet and cold spring is to blame. 

A cool spring hinders the colonization and growth of honey bees. The weather prevents flowers from blooming as early as they usually do, which means bees can’t collect as much nectar early in the season. 

Swarming occurs when a colony grows large enough that it needs to split. About half the bees and a queen bee will leave the hive and go in search of another home. 

However, without an adequate supply of nectar or warm weather to help bees thrive and reproduce, their colonies won’t grow as quickly and therefore won’t need to split and swarm. Sagili expects this is happening with honey bees, ground bees and other bees native to Oregon. 

2022 was also a cold spring, but Sagili remembers it being slightly better than this year. 

“This year is worse than last year. There was a break last year. Even a week break will allow colonies to grow,” he said. 

Sagili said he’s not concerned about the decreased number of swarms. If the weather had been warm and ideal for bees this spring and swarms weren’t being reported, then it would be a different story. 

But since it was cold and rainy, it’s his best guess this is the reason there might not be as many of them. 

He said there’s no need to panic and that bee numbers could very easily bounce back in 2024 if the spring weather is warmer. 

Anderson said the Portland Urban Beekeepers are also not too concerned. She said they’ve seen reports of swarms on social media and Nextdoor, the Portland Urban Beekeepers just haven’t been asked to respond to as many. 

The lack of swarm reports has been a bit disappointing, Anderson said, because it’s a great way to help people get new bees. A new cluster of bees can cost close to $200, but finding a swarm and transporting it to a new home can mean free bees for a beekeeper. 

Typically, swarming bees are spotted on trees or road signs, anywhere they can congregate while they send out scouts to search for a hospitable place they could live. The bees are usually docile while they wait, since they don’t have a home or honey to protect. 

To catch them, Anderson said Portland Urban Beekeepers will put a bucket or box on a pole and try to get the queen bee inside. Once she’s inside, the other bees will follow and after a couple hours, most of the bees will be in the container. The bees can then be brought to a new hive. 

“It’s incredibly fun to catch them and they are super satisfying, a really great way to give them a home,” Anderson said. 

June heads toward the end of swarm season and Anderson said it’s possible but unlikely there could be a late season bump if Portland gets the perfect weather for colonies to grow. 

With bee numbers down, Sigili said Oregon orchards and farms could see fewer trees and bushes seeded this summer. Pear trees and blueberry bushes could be impacted if bees aren’t able to pollinate them. 

In California, he said it’s likely they could experience a similar problem on almond farms, since California also had a cold, wet spring. 

“It goes to show how important bees are,” Sigili said. 

In Portland, Anderson encourages people to report any swarms they see on the Portland Urban Beekeepers website. 

In general, people can support bees by planting pollinator gardens and providing bird baths or dishes of fresh water for bees in their yard.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Springtime means honey bee swarm season for the Portland Urban Beekeepers, but so far, the spring of 2023 hasn’t been buzzing as much as usual. 

The Portland Urban Beekeepers said typically, they respond to dozens if not hundreds of reports of swarms in the spring. That’s not the case this year. They’ve only responded to a couple. 

Communications manager for the club Jessica Anderson said they’re not sure if the decreased number of swarm reports are due to natural causes or a tech issue with new swarm reporting software the club started using this year. 

“We’re speculating that it’s a software issue for us this year. It was also a wet spring, some of the nectar was a little unusual. But we don’t have any reason to think that bees aren’t surviving the winter,” Anderson said. 

Scientists agree the weather could have a lot to do with it. 

Ramesh Sagili is an associate professor of apiculture – better known as beekeeping – at Oregon State University. Although he said there are no real statistics or hard data so far in 2023 to back it up, he agrees there have not been as many swarms in Portland and the Willamette Valley. 

He hasn’t heard of as many reports of swarms and believes the wet and cold spring is to blame. 

A cool spring hinders the colonization and growth of honey bees. The weather prevents flowers from blooming as early as they usually do, which means bees can’t collect as much nectar early in the season. 

Swarming occurs when a colony grows large enough that it needs to split. About half the bees and a queen bee will leave the hive and go in search of another home. 

However, without an adequate supply of nectar or warm weather to help bees thrive and reproduce, their colonies won’t grow as quickly and therefore won’t need to split and swarm. Sagili expects this is happening with honey bees, ground bees and other bees native to Oregon. 

2022 was also a cold spring, but Sagili remembers it being slightly better than this year. 

“This year is worse than last year. There was a break last year. Even a week break will allow colonies to grow,” he said. 

Sagili said he’s not concerned about the decreased number of swarms. If the weather had been warm and ideal for bees this spring and swarms weren’t being reported, then it would be a different story. 

But since it was cold and rainy, it’s his best guess this is the reason there might not be as many of them. 

He said there’s no need to panic and that bee numbers could very easily bounce back in 2024 if the spring weather is warmer. 

Anderson said the Portland Urban Beekeepers are also not too concerned. She said they’ve seen reports of swarms on social media and Nextdoor, the Portland Urban Beekeepers just haven’t been asked to respond to as many. 

The lack of swarm reports has been a bit disappointing, Anderson said, because it’s a great way to help people get new bees. A new cluster of bees can cost close to $200, but finding a swarm and transporting it to a new home can mean free bees for a beekeeper. 

Typically, swarming bees are spotted on trees or road signs, anywhere they can congregate while they send out scouts to search for a hospitable place they could live. The bees are usually docile while they wait, since they don’t have a home or honey to protect. 

To catch them, Anderson said Portland Urban Beekeepers will put a bucket or box on a pole and try to get the queen bee inside. Once she’s inside, the other bees will follow and after a couple hours, most of the bees will be in the container. The bees can then be brought to a new hive. 

“It’s incredibly fun to catch them and they are super satisfying, a really great way to give them a home,” Anderson said. 

June heads toward the end of swarm season and Anderson said it’s possible but unlikely there could be a late season bump if Portland gets the perfect weather for colonies to grow. 

With bee numbers down, Sigili said Oregon orchards and farms could see fewer trees and bushes seeded this summer. Pear trees and blueberry bushes could be impacted if bees aren’t able to pollinate them. 

In California, he said it’s likely they could experience a similar problem on almond farms, since California also had a cold, wet spring. 

“It goes to show how important bees are,” Sigili said. 

In Portland, Anderson encourages people to report any swarms they see on the Portland Urban Beekeepers website. 

In general, people can support bees by planting pollinator gardens and providing bird baths or dishes of fresh water for bees in their yard.