A swarm of honeybees is an awesome, if not daunting sight to the non beekeeper. It is how a hive reproduces. The bees leave the hive, and congregate in a location until a suitable new home can be found. This process can take anywhere from an hour or two to several days. If you come across a swarm, there are several members of our association willing to come and help safely relocate it for you.
A honeybee swarm will often congregate in a tree, looking somewhat like the above image.
When you call, please have the following information available:
- Where are they? – e.g. Up in a tree (how high), in a bush, on a fence, in the eaves of a house?
- How many are there? How big is the cluster? Common descriptions are “size of a basketball, volleyball, trash can”, etc.
- How long have they been there?
- Are there still lots of bees flying around in the air?
- Are they honeybees? (verify using the graphic, below) Many calls are actually for paper wasps or yellow jackets.
- Is it in a public place or private (your) property?
SWARM REMOVAL – Removing a swarm of bees from a tree or the outside of a building is relatively simple, although a beekeeper working on even a simple extraction will sometimes need to make multiple visits to the property to ensure that all bees have been captured.
CUTOUTS / TRAPOUTS – If bees have taken up residence inside a wall or roof, the extraction procedure becomes much more complex and will involve setting up equipment for several days to weeks while the bees leave the structure. This minimally invasive procedure is called a trapout . If the bees are in an area where a trapout is impracticable, or if the structure is slated for demolition anyhow (e.g remodeling projects) a cutout may be required. This involves cutting into the wall to remove bees and comb. This kind of swarm removal usually involves a fee, provided you can even find someone willing to do it.
I have a swarm! Whom do I call?
The following members are willing to help with swarms:
| Todd Anger | zweefer @ gmail.com | 715-874-5464 | Eau Claire | Swarm, Trapout |
| Drew Kaiser | kaisersonhoney @ gmail.com | 715-834-4747 | Eau Claire | Swarm, Cutout |
| Don Hauser | don.hauser2 @ gmail.com | 715-864-2936 | Chippewa Falls | Swarm |
| Randy Rykal | 1rrykal @ gmail.com | 715-289-4198 | Cadott | Swarm |