Bees Swarmed A Cape May Beach No One Was Harmed And They Were Removed Safely

This year has been a strange one and it recently got a little stranger. Bees swarmed the beach yesterday in Cape May, New Jersey. Everyone has been buzzing about it and it’s easy to see why. Just watch the video below from NJ.com’s Facebook page. It’s pretty crazy!

The thing about bees is…they swarm.

Adam Cohn/Flickr

Swarms often follow their queens (Can you spot the biggest bee in the photo?) and seek out new homes when colonies split. (After a new queen is born.)

Chico Sanchez/Getty Images

Though a swarm of bees may seem scary, they are not often aggressive during this time. They’re just looking for a safe new home. A beach towel may not be the best choice…

The Cape May swarm brought thousands of bees to a stretch of sand (and a red towel) near Perry Street. Beach-goers report that while the buzzing was incredibly loud, the bees were docile. They also note that bees were stacked on the towel up to 4 inches deep.

Simon/Flickr

In a situation like this, it’s best to let the bees be and call in professional help.

Monty Rakusen/Cultura Collection/Getty Images

An experienced beekeeper safely removed the queen and most worker bees were relocated to an empty hive in West Cape May. A happy ending!

Matteo Columbo/Moment Collection/Getty Images

Bees are important pollinators and are a protected species in New Jersey. It is illegal to kill honeybees in the Garden State.

Bramblejungle/Flickr

Wasps, however, are not protected. There are 4 common wasps and 3 primary bee varieties in New Jersey – Honeybees, Bumble Bees, and Carpenter Bees. Honeybees are often gold with brown stripes, are just about half an inch long, and have little hairs all over their bodies. While bees are capable of stinging, this is rare. If you’ve been stung, it’s more likely to be by a wasp – yellow jackets in particular.