Local beekeepers say heavy rain is leading to rapid growth of Southern Colorado bee populations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Beekeepers in Colorado Springs are keeping busy as the past few weeks of heavy rain have led bee colonies to rapidly grow.

One woman in Black Forest experienced a swarm of bees firsthand over the weekend after they started making a home in her back deck column.

The sight sent Stephaney Hincy into panic, as she watched the number of bees quickly increase.

"We had at least 10,000 bees," said Hincy. "I was terrified, I was scared to go in my backyard, I was freaking out."

She got even more nervous when the swarm suddenly got smaller.

"You could see all of the bees climbing on the pillar," said Hincy. "You could just notice that's where they were going."

That's when Hincy started recording on her phone, sending the videos in different groups on Facebook, asking people what to do.

"I got tagged in it four or five times," said Brett Strike, the Colorado Springs beekeeper that eventually came to Hincy's house. "And finally I looked at the video and I noticed kind of how large of a bee population it could be."

When Strike arrived to Black Forest, he said it turned out to be the largest swarm he had ever seen.

He said he's seeing a lot of swarms this summer because of the rain.

"The rain is making the nectar very, very productive this time of year," said Strike. "So it's actually really good for honey, but at the same time, populations are growing tremendously at this point."

Strike contained the bees in a little under three hours, and he affirmed that Stephaney did exactly what she should have by calling a beekeeper for help.

Anyone who notices a bee swarm or large group of bees near there home is encouraged to contact the Pikes Peak Beekeepers Association.