Local volunteers with the Sierra Foothill Beekeeping Association are once again gearing up to save honeybees swarms throughout Mariposa County and the Sierra Foothills.  Swarms collected by local beekeepers are placed into hives and have a much greater chance of thriving.  Beekeepers often prefer collecting swarms as these local honeybees have shown they have the proven genetics to survive the climate and bloom cycles of the Sierra Foothills.

Swarming is the natural method by which honeybees propagate their species.  The queen and about half of the bees in a colony leave the hive to find a new home.  They often collect on a tree branch in a football-sized cluster while scout bees survey possible home sites.  Back at the original hive a new queen will emerge, mate, and start the next generation of bees.

If you spot a honeybee swarm, please call (209) 965-7322 (Hotline) or (209) 742-6191 (Mariposa).  A local beekeeper will be immediately dispatched to rescue the swarm.  Honeybees only please.  No wasps, hornets, or yellowjackets.

The Sierra Foothill Beekeepers Association was started 2010 to serve hobbyist beekeepers in Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador Counties of Central California.  The Association encourages sustainable, treatment-free beekeeping practices and promotes beekeeping with local genetic stock.  The Association provides education in the form of classes, monthly meetings, mentoring and educational outreach. 

Monthly meetings take place every third Monday of the month, February to October, at the Mariposa County Library at 7 p.m. 

For more information, please contact Tim at: (209) 742-6191.

Visit: Sierra Foothill Beekeepers Association online.