Beekeeper Jeff Allen estimates this swarm of honeybees, pictured on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, numbered approximately 25,000 bees. Photo: facebook.com/tasha.hawkes

Thousands of honey bees descended on the Sackville Waterfowl Park this week, before a local couple with a backyard beekeeping operation removed the swarm.

Jeff Allen and Tasha Hawkes own and operate Izzy’s Bizzys Apiary and Natural Bee Products in the Midgic area.

On Tuesday, they got a call from the Town of Sackville after someone spotted a swarm that appeared to be hanging from the branch of a tree.

“When I went to inspect it, I quickly found there was probably about 25 to 30,000 bees,” said Allen, who obtained a master beekeeper certification in 2020.

“It’s deceiving because it looks like they’re hanging off a branch, but they’re actually hanging off each other on a very small piece of that branch.”

Allen spoke to CHMA on Thursday about honey bees, backyard beekeeping and threats to pollinators posed by climate change.