GOT BEES?: The North Central PA Beekeepers Association may be able to take them.

“It is the Honey Bee Swarm season again,” the association writes. “Bees are looking to try to increase their population by swarming.

“Ever see a swarm in a tree, bush, motorcycle, car, on a building or anything else? Honey Bee Swarms are amazing. They leave the hive with usually one queen in a mass. They can be loud and scary for the untrained but they are amazing.”

Swarming — while an important part of the bees’ civilization as swarming to new locations is a way to try to increase their population — means beekeepers are losing half their bee population or more at once. Beekeepers spend between $100 and $200 replacing their bees, according to the association.

The North Central PA Beekeepers Association encourages people who see a swarm of bees to contact the organization.

“Our members are volunteers and can not collect all swarms, as some are too difficult to reach,” the group notes.

They cover the counties of Potter, Tioga, McKean Elk and Bradford in Pennsylvania and Allegany, Steuben and Cattaraugus in New York. The quickest way to report a swarm is the group’s website, http://ncpba.weebly.com/.

“That will send an email to all our Honey Bee Rescue and Swarm List,” the association explained.

The website also has tips for what to do — and what not to do — if you run into a swarm.

People who find swarms can also contact a nearby Penn State Extension Officer or Joan Bradley, the association’s secretary/treasurer, at 814-697-7586 and leave a message if she doesn’t answer.