WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A swarm of bees next to a local restaurant is stirring up a lot of buzz online. It happened next to Clemenza’s Brick Oven Pizza on Westfield Street. A viewer shared the video with us showing the swarm, taken around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.

Someone notified the Hampden County Beekeepers Association shortly after that, and one of their experts came by about an hour later to remove them. But we wanted to know if it’s normal to see a swarm like that. We turned to the Beekeepers Association for answers, “May and June is swarming season. A swarm is the natural reproductive function of a colony. And so, when a colony gets large, it is then able to reproduce. An old queen leaves with thousands of bees, and you might see them on a tree branch or a fence post or really anywhere. And, uh, once they’re there, scout bees start going out from that location and start looking for an appropriate house or a new home for those bees,” said Hampden County Beekeepers Association President Nathan Sperry.

If you come across a swarm like this — be sure to leave it to the professionals. You can find out who to contact from the Hamden County Beekeepers Association by clicking the link here.

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