A Penticton couple who were participating in the annual duck race made a detour over the weekend to capture and transport a swarm of bees not far from city鈥檚 downtown.

The swarm had settled on a tree near Edmonton Avenue and Main Street, close enough to the ground that a resident of the area who was out for a walk, spotted it and snapped a photo.

鈥淲e had just left the duck drop and I was going to post on Facebook about it and I happened to see the post,鈥� said Brenda Aarstad. 鈥淎 lot of times they can go fairly high in a tree and then it鈥檚 almost impossible to get them. These were just three feet off the ground.鈥�

Brenda and her husband Ron moved to the city just a year ago, and with that came Ron鈥檚 10 years of beekeeping experience. After checking in with the original poster to make sure the bees were still there, they drove down and Ron and Brenda鈥檚 brother-in-law suited up.

The bees were boxed up and taken to where they would have a new home next to the Aarstad鈥檚 previous hive.

鈥淎ny beekeeper would be happy to catch a swarm because we鈥檙e all trying to do the best thing for the bees,鈥� said Ron. 鈥淭o try and catch one that鈥檚 already out, it鈥檚 just better for the bees.鈥�

A swarm can account for anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 bees, according to the Aarstads, and a full hive can see numbers reach up to 80,000.

Swarming generally occurs early in the year as temperatures warm up, and is often precipitated by a swelling in the hive鈥檚 population, a sign that the bees are making ready to set up another hive.

It wasn鈥檛 the first swarm that the couple had dealt with, but it was the first since coming to Penticton. The swarms aren鈥檛 aggressive, but will still respond if someone tries to run them off or do something like soak them with a hose.

鈥淲ay to go Penticton for watching for these swarms, let鈥檚 take care of our bees,鈥� said Brenda.

Over at the bees鈥� new residence, they were given a new set of walls, frames for their hive, and plenty of sugar water, bee fondant and pollen to eat up.