They are swarming honey bees. If you live in Gaston County, North Carolina, call one of the volunteers on our swarm list and they will come out and retrieve them. If you live in another county, contact your local Extension Office to learn of local beekeepers who will retrieve swarms. Cli ck here if bees are in the walls of your home. One-third of our food supply depends on pollinators.
Honey bees are the most important pollinators of many fruits, vegetables, flowers and crops.
Honey bee populations have dropped drastically in recent years because of two parasitic bee mites . Scarce bees means lower fruit and vegetable yields, especially melons, apples, squashes, and cucumbers . Apis mellifera was brought over to the U.S. from Europe by the early colonists. Swarms escaped from captivity and quickly flourished around the countryside. Bees now need human help to survive the mites, so raising bees has never been more important.