Swarms, and Bees in buildings
People to Contact For Swarm Collection
Swarms
Swarming is the way in which new honey bee colonies are created. A colony will raise some new queens, and then the old queen will leave the hive with about half of the workers to start a new colony. On leaving the hive, they first cluster somewhere near the old hive, eg on a tree. This is the swarm. When scout bees have found a suitable home for the new colony, the whole swarm takes off, flies to the new site and sets to work.
A swarm will typically be about the size of a rugby ball, or a little less. It will usually only cluster for a few hours before flying off. However, if it has difficulty finding a new site, it may cluster for a day or two.
If you think you’ve found a swarm, first click here to confirm what sort of insect you are looking at. They may be wasps, bumble bees or solitary bees rather than honey bees. Wasp colonies will die out in the autumn, so you only need to destroy them if they are being a real nuisance. Bumble bees will also only last the summer and then die out, whilst solitary bees will only fly for a few weeks.
If you really have a honey bee swarm, don’t panic. Swarms that have only just formed are in holiday mood and the bees are not a threat. If there’s a beekeeper nearby so you know where the swarm has come from, let them know where the swarm is and they will collect it. Otherwise contact one of our swarm liaison officers, who will endeavour to find a beekeeper willing to remove the swarm, or the local police.
Bees in buildings
If bees are coming and going from a hole in a building, that is not a swarm. It means the bees are nesting there. In most instances the bees are not honey bees. Very often they are wasps, which from a distance can be mistaken for honey bees because they are about the same size. Most houses have wasps’ nests in the roof every year. Sometimes they are solitary bees which are simply making use of small crevices in mortar joints. Very occasionally, though, a honey bee colony will take up residence in a disused chimney or other cavity.
If you have a wasps’ nest and it is not causing a nuisance, don’t worry about it. It will die out in the autumn anyway. If you believe you have a honey bee colony, you can contact one of our swarm liaison officers and they will try to find a beekeeper willing to check it and advise you. However, removal of an established colony is much more complicated than the removal of a swarm and the colony may have to be destroyed.
The beekeeper may make a charge for time and travelling, particularly if they have to come a long distance, but you will be told of this in advance.
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