Bee Zaagar - Apiary and Beekeeping News

Honeybee population increases on isle

By Anthony Jones
Correspondent

GALVESTON — July 15, 2005 - If it seems as if there is a proliferation of honeybees on the island, it could be true. State officials say the numbers had dwindled, and the bees are now making a comeback.

“Beach houses make a good home for swarming bees,” said Paul Jackson, chief apiary inspector for the State of Texas. “They like places that are dry and protected from the wind, and under a beach house they have a cool breeze from the ocean.”

From March through June, bees are swarming. It’s a time when beehives naturally divide. A queen leaves the hive with about half the workers, said Mike Moore, a beekeeper with Bayou City Bees Honey Co.

“This is our busy time of the year,” Moore said. “A beehive can weigh up to 700 pounds, but most new hives are 50 to 200 pounds.”

Jackson, who oversees 450,000 beehives in Texas, said the bees would just as soon take up residence in a building or a house as they would a tree. Those that are prevalent on Galveston Island are usually the domesticated European variety that was first introduced to the United States in the 1600s.

In the late 1990s, the honeybee population sank in Galveston. Jackson said they have been slowly making a comeback and that’s the reason for the high number of bees this year.

Moore and Jackson had the same advice for residents: Respect Mother Nature — no once can know the bees’ temperament. It’s best to steer clear and call somebody to remove the hive.

There is a slight probability that some beehives could be the so-called Africanized variety, dubbed “killer bees,” so it’s best to leave bee control up to an expert. Generally, however, if bees are left alone they will not bother humans, Jackson said.

Moore said it was best to contact a beekeeper who is licensed in pest control.

Beekeeping is a billion-dollar industry, said Jackson. About 20,000 Texas hives are moved to California to assist in almond tree pollination each January. In February, they are brought back to Texas, some traveling to Lubbock to assist in seed production; others head for the Rio Grand Valley.

“Beekeepers work their bees 10 months per year,” said Jackson, explaining that his agency, which was created in 1899, oversees beehives and inspects honey production. The Texas State Apiary Office also issues permits for transporting beehives across county lines and across state lines.

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Got bees?

One way to deal with them is to call a beekeeper who will try to move the hive and save the bees for their important natural role of pollinating plants.

Extermination is also an option.

• Bayou City Bees Honey Co., (713) 392-3414.

• Lone Star Pest Control, (281) 890-1229.