Swarm of Friendly Bees Sees Off Retiring School Speech Pathologist from Mount Morris

NYLON – Perry Elementary School was abuzz during Barbara Weller Paul’s last few days at school before she retires, and not just because it was one of her last days at school in 15 years.

A swarm of bees was swooping around the buses on Wednesday, close to dismissal time. Concerned school staff contacted Perry Police, who forwarded the number of a nearby beekeeper. In the meantime, the swarm decided to hunker down under the hood of Paul’s car.

“The kids think I’m a hero,” said Paul, who is entering a well-earned retirement after 40 years as a speech-language pathologist. “The big joke today was ‘Where do bees go in the summer? Mrs. Paul’s car!'”

The beekeeper arrived and coaxed the bees into a small box.

“It took about an hour for them all to go into the box,” said Paul, a Mount Morris resident. “The beekeeper said that the bees left a little bit of wax on my car. I guess at least I got free car wax on my front bumper!”

According to buzzaboutbees.net, queen bees leave their home colonies during the summer to find new nests. The swarms of bees that surround them protect her as she flies through the open. Because the queen is not a strong flier, she typically has to rest several times during her journey, sometimes in exposed places like, say, under the hood of a car. Swarms are usually harmless. Buzzaboutbees.net has a link here for recommendations on how to remove a problematic bee swarm.

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