SWARM ASSISTANCE
Honey Bee Rescue/Swarms - BEE ALERT!
A FEW WORDS ON SWARMS -
An experienced beekeeper can be a lifesaver! .png)
|
FIRST RULE DON'T PANIC! |
Reporting a swarm:
Before you call: Honey bees measure about 15 mm long and are light brown in color. Honey bees are usually oval-shaped with golden-yellow colors and brown bands. Although the body color of honey bees varies between species and some honey bees have predominantly black bodies, almost all honey bees have varying dark-to-light striations.
- If the nest is in the ground, these are not honey bees. They are probably yellow jackets. We can’t help with that.
- If you can see a nest covering that looks like a dull gray paper, those are probably wasps. We can’t help with that either.
- But if you’re looking at a hanging blob of thousands of bees, that may be a honey bee swarm.
- Removing bees from structures can be a complicated and involved process and usually involves some carpentry. Expect this service to have a fee. We don't have many beekeepers willing to do this as it does often requires tearing walls out. Occasionally we can attract them out from a building with what we call a bait trap. Once they are out they cannot return and then you must fix the hole they are entering through.
___________
Please be able to answer the following questions when contacting us a possible swarm swarm recovery
1. What county, city, or town is the swarm located in?
2. Have you done anything to the swarm?
3. Are these really honey bees?
4. Can you send me a picture(s), email links below. Or, see chart above to assist with identification. Please note: We are only able to assist with honey bees.
5. What are the bees located in?
6. How long have the bees been there?
7. How high off the ground are they (will a ladder be needed – is the swarm location on flat ground or a hilly area)?
8. How big is the swarm (football size, etc.)?
9. If it is needed, is it alright if we snip a branch off of the tree or bush holding the swarm?
10. Name, address and phone number of the homeowner (including work or contact information of someone on-site, over 18 years old . We cannot access your private property or remove the swarm without the owner being on-site or landlord’s permission – please, no exceptions).
11. Can we access the swarm site by vehicle? If not, how far from a parking spot is the hive
12. Directions of how to find the location of the swarm, including where on the property.
 We're always happy to help - Seriously, bee swarms are prized by beekeepers, but not if we have to risk broken bones, etc. If we can get at them, we’ll be happy to give them a new place to live, a hive! If we can’t, they will leave on their own in a day or two. |
How you can tell which of the removal services you need? Here's how...
A) You heard a loud buzzing and noticed a large cloud of bees flying overhead.
B) They eventually landed on something (i.e.: a branch) and are now in a hanging cluster of honey bees.
C) You can now see bees leaving and returning from the hanging cluster of bees and they are just generally zooming all around the area now.
D) You've noticed that bees are flying into and out of a small hole or other opening and entering/leaving a cavity in the wall, eves, etc. of your house or other structure (the colony could even be inside anything from a 55-gallon drum to an old ShopVac left sitting outside, or in the hollow tree).
E) Or... You've spotted a free-hanging hive (not in an enclosed cavity) complete with honeycomb and Honey Bees crawling all over the white honeycomb.
___________
For swarm assistance please select someone from the list below. The list is broken down into geographic area for convenience. It helps if you TAKE A PICTURE to be able to text/send to the beekeeper once you contact them.
UPDATED 2022 SWARM ASSISTANCE LIST
| Doug Koch | 540-313-5183 | Any Day |
Winchester City, Frederick County, |
| Ed Shideler | 540-272-6265 | Any Day | Frederick County |
| David Reese | 540-636-8669 | Any Day | Warren County |
| Ryan Owings | 540-336-2309 | Any Day |
Winchester City, Frederick, |
| Henry Melius | 703-298-0817 | Any Day for swarms and cutouts | Clarke, Loudon, Warren, Frederick, Jefferson and Berkeley Counties |
| Linda Cunningham | 540-550-5587 |
Tuesday, |
Winchester City, Frederick, |
| Ron Clevenger | 540-532-0246 | Any Day | Southern Frederick County, Warren County |
| Danny Smedley | 540-222-4994 | Any Day for Cutouts and swarms |
Warren, Clark, Fauquier, Rappahannock counties |
| Rick Cosman | 703-597-4076 | Any Day | Warren, Frederick, Shenandoah, Loudoun Counties |
| Steve Heise | 301-466-8040 | Any Day |
Warren County and southern Clarke County
|
| Dan Strange | 540-398-6840 | Weekends or weekdays after 5pm | Southern Frederick and Clarke, Northern Shenandoah and Warren |
BONS members, if you want to be added to this list contact Doug Koch.
___________
What to do if you see a bee swarm? Watch this one minute video.
___________
Catching a Swarm for experienced beekeepers: Learn how to catch a bee swarm and install it in a new hive from our friends at Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.
June 2017
From Brushy Mountain Bee Farm
Shane Gebauer, president of Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, demonstrates how to capture a bee swarm with the Hipps Swarm Retriever and install it in a super. Knowing how to catch a swarm is important both for capturing new swarms you want to add to your beekeeping operation and for recapturing bees that outgrow yoLenniur own hives before they travel too far afield. The most important part of capturing a swarm — other than wearing the proper safety equipment — is ensuring you've captured the queen and placed her within the new hive. Otherwise, the rest of the swarm will leave to find her again.
A good indication that you've successfully installed the queen is neat rows of eggs in the frames a few days to a week after you place the swarm in their new home. Once the swarm has settled in, you can start adding honey supers to the hive.
___________
For more information, you might look at:
Moving honey bee swarms with bare hands