Bee Swarms at ASU’s Four Campuses

Bee swarms plague Phoenix homes and businesses, like ASU, putting people at risk.

When you hear of swarming bees you might think of horror movies, but that kind of event is just a typical spring day at Arizona State University. For the past two years, the end of the school year has been synonymous with finals, parties, and, you guessed it, swarming bees.

In 2015, ASU’s administration overwhelmed students with nearly daily notifications warning about swarming bees on campus.

It started at the Polytechnic campus in Mesa, and then similar notices followed regarding Tempe, Downtown, and West. More than just swarming outside in trees, bees were found in quite inopportune locations, such as inside stairwells.

Why Bees Swarm

When beehives grow, a younger queen leaves the initial hive with roughly 60% of the worker bees to go start a new, second hive. The swarm can contain tens of thousands of bees moving en masse to their new location.

Obviously, a swarm of 10,000+ bees can be quite terrifying. Imagine seeing these on campus as you’re trying to get to your class!

Typically speaking, if you don’t aggravate swarming bees, they’re likely to leave you alone. However, if the bees are Africanized—as the majority of bees in the US are—your best bet is to stay clear of these swarms.

Africanized bees can be easily angered and will attack with very little provocation.

Swarming occurs during the spring of each year, as colonies grow and expand. While ASU’s four campuses continued to have bee problems in 2016, they reduced the number of student notifications.

Why? Because of “cry wolf” syndrome. When students were receiving daily texts about bees on campus, they tended to ignore them, but when those notices arrived less frequently, they tended to pay attention.

How Bee Swarms Affect You

Obviously, if you are student at ASU, or you have a loved one attending, this news hits a bit close to home.

What if you’re not affiliated with ASU? Should you even care?

Absolutely!

Bees swarm all over in the spring and summer, and they can live in your neighborhood, backyard trees, or even in rafters of your home. Swarming is part of their natural lifestyle, even if it kind of freaks us out.

If you realize that you have bees on your property—whether they are swarming or just peacefully enjoying your landscaping—don’t attempt to help them move along on your own. Be safe when you see bee swarms!

Remember that the majority of bees in the US are Africanized, so when one attacks, it’s likely the rest of the hive will be after you as well.

Avoid your own rendition of that famous Winnie the Pooh scene and call in Budget Brothers Termite & Pest Elimination.

Our technicians are experts in removing bees from you home or businesses.