Our Services

---

Honey bee swarms are truly a wonder to watch. Unlike what is depicted in Hollywood, honey bee swarms are not aggressive, and are usually temporary. 

When a colony gets to big, the queen along with approximately 50% of the bees leave the colony in a process called swarming. They will land on a near by object and form a protective ball. The swarm will send out scouts to look for a new home to built a colony. This could be a hollow tree, or a structure like building. Mean while, in the old colony preparations for a new queen have been planned several days before the swarm happens.

Once a new home is found, the swarm will take to the air on mass and start moving like a buzzing cloud to the new home. Swarm is part of the reproductive cycle of honey bees. Its how new colonies are made.

Generally swarms are simple to catch for the experienced beekeeper. As the bees in the swarm are not protecting a nest, they are usually docile and easy to handle. Typically swarms are caught using a bucket, swarm box or bee vacuum to collect the bees and take them to a bee farm. 

Honey bee swarm removals are free of charge. Once they move into a new home, it becomes a colony. Colony removals come with a fee as they can be labor intensive to remove safely.

Sometimes after swarming, honey bees end up moving into places where they can come into direct contact with people or cause damage to the structure. When this happens, the smart thing to do is contact a beekeeper. Honey bee colonies can contain 50,000 plus bees and can weight several hundred pounds depending on the season and colony size.

Unlike wasps, honey bees build comb from wax. The wax comb stores the brood (baby bees), and food stores like pollen and honey. Honey bees can collect over 100 of pounds of honey in a season and store it for winter survival. 

DO NOT SPRAY

Spraying will likely not work as the bulk of the bees are hidden within the structure. Even if you manage to kill the colony, you will be left with thousands of dead, rotting bees, brood, and honey that will attract pests, leak within the walls causing mold and damage to drywall and insulation.

It is highly recommended to contact a person with experience in removing honey bee colonies.

It is always best to send photos se we can determine if they are honey bees or not.

We will do a site visit to figure out where the nest is located, plan of removal, risk assessment and anything that will need to be done prior to our arrival to aid in a quick and safe removal. This may include moving furniture, remove items from wall or ceiling near work area.

Colony removals do have a fee because they require a variety of tools, ladders, knowledge about bee behavior and building construction.

They can take as little as 2 hours or as much as 8+ hours depending on many factors.

Send us a message and include photos of you can and we can provide a quote.