A honey bee swarm is an example of honey bee colony reproduction in action. In the spring and into early summer, a honey bee colony will raise new queens and divide. Most bees will stay in the old hive location, but a sizable amount of bees will leave with a queen in a swarm looking for a new hive location. In transit, the bees will swarm into a clustered staging area awaiting their scouts to find and then guide them to a new hive location. This swarm can be very unnerving to people unaccustomed to this behavior.

This is a natural event that happens many times throughout the year. A honey bee swarm is extra-gentle, and not something to be feared, but something to be cherished — we so desperately need more honey bees! Honey bees reproducing is a good thing.

That being said, honey bee swarms can be a nuisance and often move into a new location that is inconvenient to us humans. If you suspect you have a swarm in your yard, please contact one of the people listed below. We have also provided a question list to help determine the location and nature of the swarm.

Please be aware that beekeepers may charge a small fee or ask for a donation for their time for the removal to help compensate for the costs of equipment, fuel, and time.

Make sure you have the following information:

• Are these wasps and not honey bees? If they are wasps, call an exterminator.
• How big is the ball of bees? Softball, volleyball, basket ball sized?
• How long have the bees been there?
• Where is the main concentration of bees?
  • Are the bees within a structure?
  • Are the bees in a tree? Or some other tall location?
  • How high in the air?
  • Do you have access to a ladder that can reach them?
• Have they built a nest of any sort?
• Will there be someone at the location to meet the beekeeper?