Swarms

Honeybee swarms can be found during the summer months.

If you have a large number of bees outside in the garden maybe in a bush or compost heap, hanging (as in the picture left) or all over the outside of something, you may have a honeybee swarm.

We have members of Evesham Beekeepers Association who are happy to collect swarms so they do not prove a nuisance. When assessing the situation, the beekeeper may advise homeowners when the services of a specialist bee removal expert may be required.

Please use the infomation below to help correctly identify the type of bee you are seeing.

Is it a honeybee swarm?

BBKA volunteer beekeepers can only assist with honeybee collection. Please use the following resources to help identify what bees you have. Take a photo if you can, and to send the the person you contact.

https://beedentify.info/ picture based site showing types of bees, their nests and where they might be found.
https://www.bbka.org.uk/identification BBKA page with helpful pictures to help you identify the bees correctly and who to approach for help.

Need to locate a local beekeeper for swarm collection?

Members of the public can use the BBKA website https://www.bbka.org.uk/swarm to and the swarm map to contact a local beekeeper.

You can also contact one of our swarm collectors:

Roy Fairclough Evesham 01386 49855 or 07790 805370
Mike Tennant Evesham 01386 832865
Richard Toft Pershore 07818 036647
Rhona Toft Pershore 07900 493845
Calvin Springer Harvington 07774 100726
Ed Reynolds Worcs area 07773 050422

If one of our swarm collectors assures you they can help, or is arranging to send someone to help, please resist the temptation to put out an additional call on Facebook or other community social media sites. It often results in wasted trips by busy beekeepers.

Swarm collection

Please remember that any assistance given by a beekeeper is entirely voluntary and done in the spirit of goodwill. Assistance is also 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.

Swarms are collected subject to their accessibility, and with no obligation. Don’t expect beekeepers to work at height or use equipment unfamiliar to them to reach swarms.

Advice

Swarm co-ordinators are happy to be called on to assess a situation involving honeybees. If they feel the bees are inaccessible, in a location that means significant time or specialist equipment is required, or already settled inside a building, they may advise the householder to engage the services of a specialist bee collector or pest controller for a fee.

Professional help

Specialist removal is a professional operation; the job should be undertaken like any gardening or decorating job; after agreement with the householder of a contract and price. Whilst not endorsing any individual EBKA can share the details of those equipped to deal with colony removal:

Matthew Brain, moley70@yahoo.co.uk, 07817 279235, Pinvin

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