THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Those who spend a lot of time outdoors, like gardeners, have become quite familiar with the sight and company of honey bees.

But mention bees in a conversation at a party, and you’ll probably hear horror stories of painful stings and life-threatening allergies. It might seem that bees aren’t a popular or friendly topic. Mention bees in a roomful of avid gardeners, however, and you’ll get all sorts of admiration for the species.

Every year in Orange County, at about this time, honey bee colonies go through a process called “swarming,” a natural and normal occurrence. As the days get longer and temperatures get warmer, activity increases within the hive as they prepare for spring nectar flows. The bees are building up their populations to have enough worker bees to gather the nectar. As the populations build, some colonies become overcrowded, a condition that stimulates swarming.

Swarming is natural to a honey bee colony and how new colonies are created. Honey bee swarms contain one queen, a few drones or males and several hundred to several thousand workers. The process begins with the production of a new queen within a colony. Once this queen is ready to take on her duties, the old queen, along with about half of the workers in that colony, leave the hive as a large mass of bees.

Many gardeners have seen honey bee swarms — a large, buzzing cloud of insects that seems to be going everywhere at once. It is a phenomenal sight that frequently scares people, and it sets off panic among those unfamiliar with it.

The flying bees eventually have to rest and regroup, somewhere, as they search for a new home. So the flying mass of bees now coalesces onto an object, into a single tight mass. This mass is properly is called a “cluster,” but most people still refer to it as a swarm. This cluster of bees ranges in size from that of a softball to sometimes larger than a basketball. They may land on a tree limb, in a shrub, on a fence post, on the side of a building or in other unusual places.

If you find a swarm, the best thing to do is leave it alone. Honey bees in a swarm are generally not aggressive. They were well-fed before leaving their home, have no hive to defend and no young bees to protect. They tend to be mild-mannered and just need to rest on their way to a new home. They are not likely to be a threat unless they are molested, such as by rock throwing, spraying with a hose or a similar activity.

While the bees are in this swarm a few workers, called scouts, are sent out to search for a suitable place to start their new hive. When the scouts find a favorable site, they report back to the swarm and it soon leaves to go to the new hive. Sometimes this process takes as little as 30 minutes, but may also take a few days. In either case, this is a temporary location for these bees.

If you discover a bee swarm, the best advice is to stay away from it.

Only if a serious health threat is present because of the location of the swarm should you need to do anything. An experienced beekeeper may be willing to gather the swarm and relocate it for you. But know that most beekeepers do not do this because they want the swarm; swarmers often have diseases and parasites that will be difficult to manage. Beekeepers willing to relocate swarms do so as a public service and may charge a fee.

According to Orange County Department of Agriculture entomologist Nick Nisson, there are no public agencies in Orange County that remove bee swarms or colonies from private property. If you require bee removal you’ll need to contact a commercial beekeeper or pest control company to arrange for its removal and relocation.

Wherever possible though, be kind to these bees. Stay back and keep others away from the swarm, but feel free to admire and appreciate the bees from a safe distance.

Honey bees are our friends, patiently going about their business while pollinating gardens and crops. By understanding honeybees and their natural swarming behavior, you’ll be able to talk about the bees at your next garden party; and relieve some of the fears that people have of these hard working and beneficial insects.

ASK RON

Question: My tomato leaves are exhibiting brown spots on them, and they tend to wilt under those circumstances. What should I do for them? Someone mentioned early blight disease, and I did plant them early this year (February).

Dave

Costa Mesa

Answer: Yes, it sounds like the symptoms of Tomato Early Blight (Alternaria solani), a fungal disease. In Orange County this disease is primarily seen when tomatoes are planted. It is one of the reasons I don’t suggest planting tomatoes much sooner than late March or April. Fortunately, most of the time, the plants will outgrow the disease once the weather warms up and humidity drops. Fungicides are not usually suggested. See if the tomatoes can recover; if not start another crop. But next year wait at least another month to set out your tomato plants.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.