Bee swarms surge in Finland as keepers scramble to capture tens of thousands

Bee swarming has surged this summer in Finland, with the Finnish Beekeepers’ Association reporting more calls to its swarm hotline in recent weeks than in all of last year.

Hannu Luukinen, who staffs the association’s swarm hotline, attributes the increase to an early summer. Warm weather has accelerated plant flowering, providing abundant food for hives. Beekeepers, caught off guard by the rapid growth, have sometimes failed to expand hive space in time, prompting old queens to leave with roughly half the colony in search of new nesting sites.

In Helsinki’s Pasila district, beekeeper Anton Kunnas recently captured a swarm of tens of thousands clustering on a tree branch. After initial attempts with a telescoping pole and a frame baited with beeswax failed, he used a plastic bag attached to the pole to shake the bees into a portable hive box. The process took several tries before most of the swarm was secured. He left the box overnight to allow stragglers to join before relocating it to his apiary in Inkoo.

Swarming bees are generally docile, as they have no hive to defend, but Luukinen advises keeping a distance. Accidental stings can occur if bees become entangled in hair. Without intervention, swarms may nest in tree cavities or chimneys, where removal is often lethal.