A swarm of honey bees rests in a tree on Beech Street in toppenish last week. This is the time of year when honey bees typically swarm, a process in which a queen takes worker bees and establishes a new hive. Since swarming can seriously deplete the old hive, it’s not desirable among domesticated bees, and bee keepers employ a number of methods to prevent their bees from swarming. Some bee keepers also may be interested in capturing bees that have swarmed, though some are reluctant to do so since insects from an unknown hive can transmit diseases.