DONT call an exterminator, call a beekeeper!
Swarming Honey Bees is a great and healthy thing! Swarming is how Honey Bees create new hives, how they create new Queens. It is actually how the Honey Bees Superorganism reproduces! Swarming also help reduce the pest population in hives and generates new, clean, healthy beeswax for the bees to use.
But, if you live in an urban setting they can be problematic! often bees will swarm onto cars, patio furniture, the side of your house, or best case a tree in your back yard. Regardless of where they land, many city folks don't want them around, lol. That is why as an Urban Beekeeper, we offer free swarm removal! This is a great way for us to educate our neighbors about bees, show that they are safe to have around, allows us to remove the bees safely, and bring them to a new home where they can thrive. It also gives beekeepers free honey bees! It is a win-win for everyone.
Honey Bee swarms will form a huge cluster of bees. They are protecting the Queen Bee somewhere in the center of the cluster. Swarming bees have no home to protect so they are very docile at this time. They fill their stomachs with honey before they swarm making it difficult to extent their stingers as well. If you see one of these clusters, they are safe, just call a beekeeper. The cluster will stay for 2-3 days up to a week, and then it will fly away. They are simply hanging out while the Scout Bees look for a new home.
Removing a swarm is simple, we simply "shake" them into a box and transport them away. It is a slow process as we work with the bees, no against them. Once we know the Queen Bee is inside our box, we patiently wait for the rest of the bees to follow her. Typical this might go up till sunset. Then we seal the box off and transport it to a new home.
Sometimes we can not do it for free thou... sometimes the swarm cluster is in an unsafe location, maybe too high in a tree or near power lines. Sometimes we suggest just let nature take its course and wait for them to leave in a few days on their own.
You can check out videos and more photos of our swarm removals on our Instagram page @greenstingertradingco. If you are in the NYC area you may reach out to us if you have a swarm on your property.
Have we removed a Bee Swarm from your house? Leave us a Review Below!