Thousands of Rare Bird Brewpub’s Honeybees Swarm Nearby Forklift

Bees, bees and more bees.

An estimated 30,000 Honeybees swarmed on a forklift in Downtown Traverse City Tuesday.

Many people don’t know that Rare Bird Brewpub in Traverse City has its own Honeybee hive on the roof.

The hive produces honey for certain beers at Rare Bird Brewpub.

Usually the bees stick to one place, but Tuesday around noon, they were found covering the forklift next door at Thirlby Automotive.

Beekeepers were able to help the bees create another hive, but it took hours for all the bees to get with the program.

The whole process is called splitting the hive.

Rare Bird Co-Owner and Brewer Tina Schuett says, “When the Honeybees have a new queen, it’s been laid basically the egg, the old queen will take off and take half of the hive and that’s called a swarm and so when I was sitting there on my computer and saw all the bees out I knew something was up.”

This new hive will eventually create more bees and more honey for Rare Bird’s honey beer.