Concerns about swarming bees

Please don’t panic if you do come across a swarm. The bees are usually quite docile while they are swarming.  To be on the safe side keep children and pets well away so that the bees are not disturbed, close any open windows overlooking the swarm, then go to the BBKA Swarm Information website to find the details of your local swarm collector.

However before you that are you sure you have a swarm of Honeybees? You can CLICK HERE to take a look at our guide!

A swarm which is about to land.

The noise from their wings can be quite loud.

A swarm may not stay in place for more than a few hours, so please ask for help without delay.

If you are sure that you have a swarm of honeybees then please go to the BBKA Swarm Information website to find the details of your local swarm collector.

Although the assistance given to the public is generally provided by the beekeeper free of charge, a donation towards the beekeeper’s cost of fuel would be appreciated.

To find details of someone local to you please visit: BBKA Swarm Removal

Please note that any assistance given by a beekeeper is provided on the basis that neither the Association nor its members can be held responsible for any inadvertent misadventure during the process of collecting swarms.  Beekeepers are not builders, tree surgeons or steeplejacks!

More about swarms:

A colony of bees reproduces itself by swarming.  In the spring, when conditions are favourable, the queen will lay lots of eggs and the colony will rapidly grow in numbers.  When the hive starts to become overcrowded, the worker bees will place one or more eggs in special queen cells, and feed the emergent larvae with special food to rear a new queen or queens.  When the first new queen is due to emerge from her cell (this takes about 16 days), the older worker bees will fill themselves with honey and will fly off with the old queen to found a new colony.