SUNBURY, Pa. — Gary Carns is an eighth-generation beekeeper from the Harrisburg area and the 2022 Pennsylvania Beekeeper of the Year.
Carns was driving through Sunbury on Monday to pick up some queen bees when he and his coworker noticed something off about a tree.
"We got stuck in traffic here, and I just looked over at the tree, and I saw the swarm of bees hanging in the tree," Carns said. "A nice size swarm, I think it's at least 20,000, 25,000, maybe close to 30,000."
Carns is always looking for bees.
"Their present home, for one reason or another, either became too small or was invaded by some of the pests we have, or maybe someone did construction on the building they were in, and they had to move out."
Carns says bees do not survive like this for very long.
"There's not enough time in the season for them to build a new colony and collect 60 to 80 pounds of honey to make it through the winter."
Luckily, the beekeepers knew exactly what to do. They put a hive below the tree and shook the tree.
Honey bees need food and a dry space to survive. The keepers tell us this new hive will provide that.
"They all should be nice and happy in there. This evening, when it gets dark, everybody will be inside, and I'll be able to move them to my new location."
Carns took the bees back to his home outside of Harrisburg, saving them from the elements and preventing Sunbury residents from getting swarmed.
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