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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Maya Yang

Experts sound alarm as North America’s bees start swarm season unusually early

Close up of honey bees flying
This year’s unusually early swarm season follows several years of record bee colony declines worldwide, a new report says. Photograph: bo1982/Getty Images

After a series of record-breaking US heatwaves, the 2026 bee swarm season in North America has started 17 days earlier than last year, pushing beekeepers to adapt to a rapidly shifting season while raising new questions about how honeybees are responding to the climate crisis.

According to a new report published by Swarmed, a tracking network of more than 10,000 beekeepers, focused on safe and ethical honeybee relocation, this year’s unusually early swarm season follows several years of record colony declines worldwide.

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