RESIDENTS have been warned to expect an increase in bee swarms around St George and Sutherland Shire after two incidents last week.
Cronulla Police were called to Wanda Reserve where a swarm of around 5000 bees had settled underneath the seat of an abandoned children's bicycle.
Workers in Kogarah were also forced to shut windows after a large swarm of bees flew near Montgomery Street and Wicks Lane.
"It was like a large cloud, flying past my office window,'' one worker said. "They were quite frenzied.''
Engadine beekeeper and NSW Apiarist Association Sydney branch president Eric Whitby said the bee swarming season, which usually begins around July but was delayed because of colder, wetter weather, would peak at the end of October and run until the end of the year.
"Breeding is accelerating this time of year; they get over-crowded, produce a new younger queen and the swarm moves to a new location,'' Mr Whitby said. "Bees are very beneficial insects, they pollinate 80 percent of our food chain.''
Mr Whitby has attended up to 60 jobs to remove swarms of regional Australian native bees and European honeybees since the beginning of September and expects to be answering up to 15 calls a day within a month.
He said the best reaction if you encounter a bee swarm is to stay calm, walk away from where it is flying without waving your arms about, or lie on the ground if it is in an open area.
"If one lands on you, don't touch it; blow it and it will go away,'' Mr Whitby said. "Bees will not attack unless they are provoked.''
Official figures show there is a less than one-in-a-million chance of dying from a bee sting.
Fifty people died in Australia from bee/wasp stings between 1982 and 2004, 10 between 2000 and 2004.
Allergic reactions to bee stings include an itchy rash, redness, shortness of breath, swelling around the lips or throat, weakness, fainting, shock, and chest or abdominal pain.
Have you seen any bee swarms?