Honeybees are swarming this summer in Alberta. Here's why, and what you should know about them

It seems like more honeybees are swarming in Alberta and experts aren’t sure what that spells for the future.

Beekeepers say they have observed an uptick in honeybee swarming around Calgary and rural Alberta, thanks in part to the heavy rainfall that parts of the province have been receiving as of June and July.

“It’s the third-rainiest July Calgary has ever experienced,” Ty Callioux, who manages membership for the Calgary and District Beekeepers Association. “And rain means nectar because of all the flowers that are produced.”






For some beekeepers looking to add more bees to their colonies, it could be a prime opportunity to go out and catch the swarms before they find a more permanent home. For the public with little or no knowledge of honeybees and their habits, it could be a cause for concern to find a swarm of bees nesting on a backyard fence or humming deep in the woodwork of walls.

Callioux said his organization has received an estimated 50 per cent more calls from the public this year than in 2024 about swarms of honeybees. But more honeybees in the air does not necessarily spell good fortune for the coming months or for honey production next year, as it all depends on how the bees fare through the Canadian winter.

“Honeybees in the wild don’t do well in the winter,” he said, and often can only survive if sustained by beekeeper-managed colony who has experience with feeding and sustaining the bees throughout the extreme temperatures.

Here’s what you need to know about the honeybees swarming and what to do if you see a swarm.

Bee researcher Ron Miksha tends his backyard hives at his Calgary home on Friday, August 8, 2025.
What does it mean when bees swarm?

Bees swarm when they’re on the lookout for a new home.






Typically, once a beehive starts to get too crowded and the old queen’s pheromones inhibiting swarming in the worker bees gets too diluted among the population, the worker bees will begin constructing new queen cells. Once a new queen cell is capped, the hive splits, wherein the new queen and half the worker bees stay in the hive, while the old queen and her remaining following leave in search for a new home.

The swarming bees fill up on a few days’ worth of honey and leave the hive. They typically find a temporary home, either on a fence, a tree branch or perhaps a bush where the majority will stay while a few bee scouts will explore the area for potential of a permanent residence. Once secured, the bees leave their temporary spot for the permanent home and create a new hive there.

While an intimidating sight to those who don’t understand them, swarming bees are docile, experts say. They are too full of honey to be aggressive and have no home to be territorial of. A bee swarm isn’t dangerous, especially if they’ve only landed on a spot for a day. But if they remain in that spot for a few days more, that’s when the territorialism sinks in and the insects could feel compelled to defend their home, if need arises.

A bee browses on a flower at the Reader Rock Garden in Calgary on June 23, 2025.
Why are they swarming now?

In Alberta, honeybees normally swarm in the springtime or early summer.