If you find a honeybee colony in or around your home, don’t kill them.

“Should you find a hive in your home or see a swarm in your yard, go to www.westsoundbees.org where we keep an updated swarm list,” said Frank Wilson, president of the West Sound Beekeepers Association. “Many beekeepers are happy to come out and either catch a swarm or help remove a hive from a house.”

The WSBA is a group of about 150 people who keep or are interested in bees, Wilson said.

“For the most part, we are hobbyists with one to five hives, but we do have some beekeepers with over 100 hives,” he said. “Our club is unique in that we maintain a teaching apiary with about 12 hives, which we use for workshops and classes.”

The WSBA helps educate, mentor and raise the awareness of bees. They offer an apprentice beekeeping class usually in February each year. Last year, Wilson said there were 85 students.

“Learning about bees is important because once you better understand what bees bring to our table and what they do in the environment, the less likely you are to spray your lawn to get rid of some dandelions … or spray your garden with pesticides.

“You often hear people say, ‘what goes around comes around.’ You can see that directly in the life and death of our bees.”

Beekeeping, Wilson said, is a hobby that appeals across the board.

“There is something for every interest when it comes to beekeeping,” he said. “Biology, chemistry, woodworking, gardening, thermodynamics, animal husbandry and just plain fun.

“I think we are in a moment of time in which people are paying more attention to the environment around them, what they eat, drink, use and wear.”

In recent years, it’s been reported that more than a third of the world’s honeybee colonies have disappeared, which is a very bad sign for the future of humankind.

As Environment America (www.environmentamerica.org) put it, “We rely on bees to pollinate everything from almonds to strawberries to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows. What happens if the bees disappear? It’s simple: no bees, no food.”

A beekeeper checks on the progress of a swarm. Photo by Lynn R. Wilson

“Being able to catch a swarm, or remove a colony of bees from a house, allows a beekeeper to set up a whole new colony, which will expand to be a self-supporting hive,” Wilson said. “A swarm of 10,000 bees can grow to 80,000 bees as spring turns into summer.”

However, Wilson said that 80-percent of the time someone calls about finding a swarm in their home, it’s a yellow jacket or hornet problem, not bees, so “be sure of the bee you are looking at.”

Anyone with an interest in keeping bees should contact the WSBA (information online at www.west soundbees.org).

“If you want to be a beekeeper, talk to a beekeeper,” Wilson said. “You will be surprised how many there are in Kitsap County. There is a whole beekeeping sub-culture that I didn’t even know existed until I joined the club.”

The association also has a booth each year with the Master Gardeners during the Kitsap County Fair, held this year Aug. 24-28.

“Stop by, ask questions and then attend an intro to beekeeping class that we will have in September,” Wilson said. “If you decide to move forward with your new hobby, join the club, attend the apprentice class next year where you will learn how to get started, then get a mentor.”

If you have a desire to help support bees, but don’t have an interest in the hobby itself, Wilson had a few suggestions.

1. Buy local honey.

2. Don’t use chemicals in your yard or garden … “search instead for natural alternatives.”

3. Plant bee-friendly flowers and plants.

4. Provide a water source for bees.

For more information on beekeeping and the importance of honeybees, visit www.westsoundbees.org.