Avalon Beach: Backyard beekeeper Giles Stoddard in thongs and shorts gently deals with swarm of 20,000

Bee lovers are abuzz after a video emerged of a Sydney beekeeper, dressed in shorts and thongs, gently searching through a 20,000-plus swarm in search of its queen. See the amazing video.

An amazing video has emerged of a backyard beekeeper on the northern beaches, dressed in shorts and thongs, sticking his bare hands into a swarm of 20,000 honey bees.

And Giles Stoddard did it without getting stung.

The experienced beekeeper, who has 10 hives at his Avalon Beach home, is captured on the video gently searching through the swarm to find the queen bee.

His insects had just flown from one of Giles’ hives because it had become overcrowded, and settled in a swarm on a nearby flowering crepe myrtle tree.

Giles, who would normally wear full protective clothing when dealing with his bees, assured visitors to the video on his Avalon Honey Facebook site, that the bees were not being aggressive and would not sting him.

In a still from his video, Giles Stoddard, the owner of Avalon Honey, is seen gently searching through the swarm of 20,000 European hiney bees, for the queen bee. Picture: Facebook

He wanted to locate the queen and place her into another hive so that her loyal worker bees would follow her into their new home — and begin the honey making process again.

Prior to his search for the queen bee, Giles had broken off the tree branch holding the swarm, before giving it quick an up and down jolt, to dislodge the large ball of bees onto a blanket next to the hive.

Giles Stoddard with bee swarm that had settled on a branch in a crepe myrtle in his back garden. Picture: Facebook

Giles, who collects honey from his backyard hives which he sells to locals at his front door, is also keen on educating people about honey bees and their importance to the natural world.

He urges people to respect their insect neighbours and likes to dispel myths that swarming bees will attack and sting.

“Most bees and wasps are not aggressive,” Giles said.

“They are purely defensive and will become aggressive if something threatens their colony, their brood or babies, or them as individuals.

The swarm of bees in the Avalon garden. Picture: Facebook

Giles Stoddard with the queen bee (bottom) he found in the 20,000+ swarm.

“The bees don’t want to sting you.

“When they are swarming, they are not protecting their home or babies, so they are calm.”

Giles encouraged people who spot a swarm, and were worried, to contact Amateur Beekeepers Australia for help.

Those wanting information on where they can get honey from their local backyard producer can use the “Honey Map”.

Originally published as Avalon Beach: Backyard beekeeper Giles Stoddard in thongs and shorts gently deals with swarm of 20,000