An experienced Avalon Beach beekeeper astonished onlookers by calmly handling a massive swarm of 20,000 bees barehanded while dressed in shorts and thongs, successfully relocating them without receiving a single sting.
Barehanded Swarm Relocation
Giles Stoddard, who keeps several beehives at his home, recently faced a large swarm that had departed one of his hives due to overcrowding. The bees had settled on a nearby flowering crepe myrtle tree.
A remarkable video showed the beekeeper, without wearing his usual full protective gear, carefully reaching into the dense cluster of insects. He aimed to find the queen bee. By locating and moving the queen into a new, empty hive, he knew the thousands of loyal worker bees would follow her into their new home, allowing them to restart the honey-making process.
Before searching for the queen, Mr Stoddard broke off the branch holding the swarm and carefully shook the bees onto a blanket placed beside the new hive.
Understanding Swarming Bees
Mr Stoddard used the incident to educate people about bee behaviour. He reassured viewers of the video on his Avalon Honey Facebook page that the bees were not acting aggressively. He explained that most bees and wasps are generally not aggressive insects.
Their nature, he stated, is purely defensive, meaning they only become aggressive if their colony, their young (brood), or they are threatened. Mr Stoddard emphasised that bees do not actively want to sting people. He noted that bees are particularly calm during the swarming process because they are not defending a home or their young.
Local Beekeeper’s Message
Beyond managing his hives – four at Avalon Beach, four at North Avalon, and two at the War Vets home at Collaroy Plateau – Mr Stoddard is passionate about teaching the community about honey bees and their vital role in the natural world. He sells honey collected from his hives directly to locals from his front door.
The beekeeper strongly encourages people to respect their insect neighbours and aims to correct common misunderstandings, particularly the idea that swarming bees are likely to attack.
For residents who find a bee swarm and feel worried, Mr Stoddard advises contacting Amateur Beekeepers Australia for assistance. He also pointed interested locals towards the “Honey Map” resource to find backyard honey producers in their area.
Published Date 21-April-2025