SWARM REMOVAL ASSISTANCE

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A honey bee swarm is a natural part of honey bee reproduction. When a colony becomes large and healthy, about half of the bees leave the hive with the old queen to start a new colony.

During this process, thousands of bees may gather in a temporary cluster on:

• Tree branches
• Fences 
• Bushes 
• Mailboxes 
• Buildings 
• Outdoor equipment
   

This cluster may look alarming, but swarming bees are usually very calm. They are focused on protecting their queen and searching for a new home. Because they have filled up on honey before leaving the hive, they are typically less defensive than bees protecting an established nest.

A swarm will often remain in one location for a few hours to a few days while scout bees search for a permanent home.

•  Honey Bee: Small, fuzzy brown-gold bee that may form a large hanging cluster of thousands of bees (a swarm) while searching for a new home.

• Bumble Bee: Large, very fuzzy black-and-yellow bee usually seen individually on flowers or nesting in the ground; they do not form hanging swarms.
   
• Carpenter Bee: Large black bee that resembles a bumble bee but has a shiny, hairless abdomen and often hovers around wooden structures where it drills holes to nest.
   
• Yellowjacket: Small, smooth, bright yellow-and-black wasp that is often aggressive and commonly flies in and out of holes in the ground or structures.
   
• Paper Wasp: Slender brown or reddish wasp with long legs that hang down while flying and builds open umbrella-shaped nests under eaves and structures.
   
• Hornet (Bald-faced Hornet): Large black-and-white wasp that builds gray, football-shaped paper nests in trees or shrubs.

NOTE: Our volunteers remove honey bee swarms only. Wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, and established honey bee colonies inside structures require different services.