Swarms
Photo by Lois Thompson, Snellville
What is a swarm?
Swarming is the natural drive of honey bees to reproduce the colony. In winter months, the queen lays fewer eggs and the hive concentrates on winter survival. However, in the spring of the year, with warmer temperatures and early nectar flows, the queen will begin laying eggs at an accelerated rate in order to build up the population in the colony. Occasionally the queen will run out of space to lay additional eggs and the nest becomes congested.
In response to this congestion the queen will leave the hive in search of a new nest. As many as half of the worker bees and drones leave with her. This could represent several thousand bees. They congregate in a tree limb or similar place and form a ball-shaped cluster around the queen. This cluster can reach the size of a football or larger. While in this state, scouts search for an alternative living space.
While the buzzing of the swarm and the size of the cluster may be disconcerting, bees in a swarm are focused on finding a new living space, and are usually harmless to bystanders unless they are molested.
What to do if you see a swarm on your property.
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Do not molest the swarm or kill it
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Do nothing. As a rule, the swarm will locate a new nesting site on its own and will move to it. This usually takes less than 24 hours.
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Contact a beekeeper to have the swarm retrieved. Some beekeepers retrieve swarms as a public service. Retrieving swarms is time consuming, costly, and may involve extensive travel. Compensating the beekeeper to offset these costs is appropriate.
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If bees are located within a wall of a house or building, contact a person who specializes in bee removal This work requires specialized equipment and may be dangerous depending on the the location of the swarm. Contact this website for bee removal people. There are fees for this kind of work that will be quoted by the removal specialist.
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Bee removal specialists believe that many swarms come out of nests inside wall cavities, roof overhangs, and other parts of buildings. These swarms often find a new nesting site in similar locations in other buildings. Homes should be carefully inspected and openings, even very small ones, should be repaired and sealed.
Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association
April, 2006