Something Worth ‘Buzzing’ About: Swarm of Bees Lost in Savannah Find Their Way Home

In an extraordinary show of nature in action, a swarm of bees which had gone missing in Savannah, Georgia, have found their way back to their hive. This astonishing event unfolded in an Ardsley Park neighborhood on a quiet Sunday afternoon, as panicked residents watched on.

Neighborhood Witnesses Unusual Scene

Local resident, Benjamin Schumm, who lives close to where the bees had chosen to halt, was one of those who witnessed the spectacle. “I’m used to seeing people walking their dogs, but a swarm of bees is certainly a first!” he said. Initially, he took it as a compliment that the queen bee had chosen his home as a rest stop. He quipped, “I thought my home was special, that the queen had chosen us. Turns out that she was just tired and decided to stop here.”

The swarm of bees belonged to Tiffany Blevins, a backyard beekeeper. She was busy constructing a shed in her backyard when the bees suddenly swarmed and flew off. “We heard a huge hum above us and looked up, it was just a swarm of bees, a huge mass of bees,” she recalls.

The Bee’s Natural Lifecycle

Blevins, who has beekeeping experience, shed light on the behavior of the bees. “Swarming is a natural part of the bee’s lifecycle,” she explained. When a hive gets too packed, a portion of the bees, along with a new queen, would fly off to establish their own hive elsewhere. This was what occurred this Sunday. “There were simply too many bees for the space they had, causing them to split,” Blevins shared.

The Rescue Operation

In an attempt to recover her bees, Blevins had to climb a ladder and carefully scoop the bees into a bag, hoping to secure the queen in the process. The behavior of bees is such that where the queen goes, the rest follow. This proved true as the bees duly congregated in a bee box following the queen. Fortunately, nobody was stung during this bee chase and with Blevins’ expert maneuvering, it was soon business as usual in the neighborhood.

After the captivating bee spectacle on Sunday, Blevins decided to give the other swarm of bees to a fellow beekeeper friend who will now take care of them. The incident serves as a reminder of the complex and fascinating natural behavior of bees, and a testament to the dedication and passion of beekeepers like Blevins.