Help!!!  What is a swarm?  Why do bees swarm?  Contact telephone numbers

The Stratford-upon-Avon & District Beekeepers' Association maintains a list of beekeepers who are willing to collect swarms or assist the public with bee related problems.  Contact telephone numbers are supplied to the police and to Environmental Health Departments.  This service is normally provided free of charge, except where the bees are particularly difficult to remove or there is considerable travel involved.  Advice is always free and we would urge members of the public to talk to us rather than to contact pest control companies - bees are not pests!

Firstly, remember Corporal Jones and 'Don't panic!'

Next, can we take just a moment to check that you do indeed have a swarm of bees?  Every year we get well over a hundred calls from the public asking for assistance with swarms - but many are not swarms and many are not honeybees!  Please look at the pictures below.

Note that we are willing to deal with swarms of bees and to give advice on bumblebees and 'solitary' bees.

We do not deal with wasps' nests - for these you should contact the Environmental Health Department of your local council.

A swarm of bees hanging from a branch. We can deal with this easily.	This swarm decided to set up home in a tree and has built some combs.  It will be more difficult to remove.	A wasps' nest in a tree - note that these outdoor nesting species can be very dangerous.
A typical wasps' nest with wasps on the outside.  Wasps are always striped black and yellow with smooth, hairless bodies.  They are roughly the same size as a honeybee but the bee is hairy.	A huge wasps' nest in a loft - dealing with this is a job for the professionals!	The Median wasp (centre), sometimes known as the Euro wasp, nests outdoors (see above).  It is much larger  and darker than the common wasps and is sometimes called the 'Little Hornet'.  Compare its size with the housefly (top) and honeybee (below).
A queen hornet on a nest that it had started to build in a beehive!  Hornets are our largest species of wasp.  The red colour distinguishes it from other wasps.  Contrary to common belief, they are not particularly aggressive - but they do have a powerful sting!	There are many species of  'solitary' bee.  They nest in holes in the ground, plant stems and holes in soft mortar.  They are called 'solitary' because they do not make a communal nest - although many may nest in the same area.  They do not sting and do a great deal of good work pollinating flowers.  Enjoy watching them! (See next picture).	Male (left) and female (right) solitary bees, in this case the Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva).  This bee is very common in our area and is seen here working plum blossom.
The nest of another 'solitary' bee - the Red Mason Bee.  The cell walls are made from mud.  Note all the yellow pollen.	Bumblebees often make their nests in bird boxes - but in this case a small swarm of honeybees has moved in.  The box will be far too small for them as the colony grows.	Queen bumblebee on a crocus; she is covered in pollen grains after gathering nectar.  Bumblebees vary in size from the large queens to early workers no bigger than a fly.  All species are very 'furry', but have varying colour patterns - black, brown, yellow, red, buff and white.

More information on Bumblebees, Solitary Bees, Wasps and Hornets can be found by following links from our Links page.

• Remember that swarms are normally very docile and do not sting unless severely provoked.  Even if bees land on you, they will simply fly away again if you let them.  This is because bees normally sting only in defence of their home - and a swarm does not have a home to defend.  So keep your hands in your pockets and enjoy watching one of nature's great spectacles!
   
• If the swarm is still flying around wait for it to settle - beekeepers cannot collect swarms in mid-air!
   
• If there are bees in the house, it is essential to open the windows quickly to let them out - it is perfectly safe to walk into a room with bees in it - so that they rejoin the swarm.
   
• Keep people - especially children - well back from the swarm so that it remains settled.
   
• Contact a beekeeper immediately - the local police will have contact numbers.
   
• Give a sensible estimate of the size of the swarm - rugby ball, coconut, tennis ball.
   
• Give an honest estimate of the height of the swarm above the ground and whether there are good ladders available to reach it - remember that the beekeeper will need to get up beside it.

• Never try to swat them - bees dislike rapid movements, so move slowly and calmly.
   
• Never attempt to deal with a swarm yourself in any way.
   
• Above all else, never try to kill the bees, especially with insecticide.  This will certainly end in failure and may well provoke the bees to attack; it will, at the very least, leave the remaining bees disorientated and unmanageable so that most beekeepers will then refuse to help you.
   
• If bees land on your hair, do not flap at them or try to brush them away - you will rub them into your hair and they will then sting! Just keep your hands in your pockets and let them fly away when they are ready.

Association Swarm Liaison Officer: Moira Osborne: 01789 731745.
Moira is able to offer advice and has a list of beekeepers in the area who are willing to help with swarms.

Warwickshire Police Headquarters at Leek Wootton: 01926 415000.  (There is no need to dial 999!)

Stratford-upon-Avon Environmental Health Department: 01789 260831.

A swarm is a part or, in some cases, all of a colony of bees that has left its home - either a hive or perhaps a hollow tree.

When a swarm first issues from a colony, it will usually fly around for a short while and then settle, possibly on the branch of a tree.  The swarm will then send scouts to find a new home and then, when they have found one, will move to it.  A swarm may hang up for just a few minutes or for several days, but when it moves off it will be gone in a couple of minutes.

A large swarm will make a considerable amount of noise as it is flying around and can be quite a frightening sight to the non-beekeeper.  However, most swarms are very docile and will not sting even if you stand right in the middle of them - provided that you do not attempt to impersonate a windmill!

It would be difficult to explain swarming completely here, but the following gives a reasonable overview:

Bees normally swarm for one of three reasons:

Home