All normal. Even finding a swarm of bees that choose one of the green shrubs in the flower boxes in the central Piazza San Secondo as a new home or a low wall in Via Pietro Micca.
The swarming of bees, in fact, is typical of the months from April to June, when they begin looking for a new home, even far from their hive. There are numerous reports from citizens who, from one moment to the next, have found “clusters” of bees on branches in the garden or in some crack in the house.
It was a passerby with an attentive eye who noticed the “bunch” in the planter in front of the Collegiate Church and reported it on Facebook asking for help from the experts to recover the bees and put them to safety.
The president of Coldiretti Asti, Monica Monticone, responded to the appeal and immediately forwarded the report to Paulin Takumbo, better known as “Taki”, a beekeeper of Cameroonian origins who lives in Camerano Casasco and who has been carrying on with sacrifice for years and dedication to the care of his hives for the production of honey. Guided by experience, he recovered the two city swarms and took them to a safe place where they can continue their honey season in new hives.
During swarming, bees are not dangerous and rarely sting because they are so full of honey collected for their journey that they are unable to arch their abdomen to release the sting. This is to reassure citizens who find the bunches close to home. But it should also be underlined that you still need to be cautious and not get too close or hit the swarm with sticks or try to poison it with poisonous sprays or, even worse, try to set it on fire. First of all because it is absolutely prohibited by law but then because bees are at the base of the food chain, being pollinators and therefore “workers” not only of the hive but also of the crops with which we feed ourselves. Killing them is a crime against nature. A phone call to the local police is enough to report the presence of the swarm and let the expert beekeepers take care of it.
(Photo Billi)
