by Carin Kirkegaard

In May, a swarm of honey bees was discovered at the corner of Oxford and Berkley Circle in the Kings Crossing neighborhood of HOA2. Concerned neighbors spotted the brown swirling mass and upon closer inspection discovered that it was a swarm of bees.

Residents tried calling organizations like local animal control as well as the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, but were unsuccessful in finding anyone who could remove the swarm. Worries for passing children and mothers with strollers prompted resident Laurie Kurtic to contact Dave Bower, the bee keeper in charge of the former Boy Scout Bee Keeping Program.

Bower was able to capture the bees and relocate them to bee hives in the Cherry Creek Valley. The total swarm weighed 4.4 pounds which translates into roughly 13,000 bees. According to Bower, this swarm was a cluster of bees that were moving the old queen to a new location in order to start a new colony. The original swarm that these bees were leaving is located somewhere within 500 feet of the spot where this swarm was found, probably in an attic or trash can.

Bower assured that these bees are not a cause for a safety concern in the neighborhood. The bees typically fly eight feet above people’s heads looking for plants to pollinate in order to make their honey. Bees rarely choose to sting since this means death for the bee. When a person is stung it is usually from stepping on a bee, or some other means of danger to the bee. “For every third bite of food you put in your mouth, you can thank a bee for,” said Bower.