If you see something like this hanging around in your yard, it is a honey bee swarm. Wondering why a swarm of honey bees might suddenly appear in your yard? Swarms are a bee colony’s way of reproducing. When a colony of bees is getting over crowded, the queen and about half the bees in the colony leave their home (if they live with a beekeeper, that is the hive). They settle somewhere out in the open near the original colony, while scout bees head out to look for a new place to live. This usually happens in the spring. In Michigan, May is “swarm season”, and that is the time you are most likely to see a honeybee swarm. However, bees can swarm in the summer and fall as well. Beekeepers like myself generally try to manage our honeybee colonies to prevent swarms. We want to keep those excess bees for ourselves, to fill new hives, but also, as good neighbors, we don’t want our bees to move into your house. However, despite best efforts, we some times fail, and a managed colony swarms. In addition, there are wild bee colonies, and those also produce swarms. So, swarms happen! While the bees in the swarm are in their outside location, waiting on the scout bees to find them a new home, there are many beekeeper (like me) eager to collect the swarm, bring them home and move them into a hive.
If you spot a swarm of honey bees hanging around in your yard, and you are located within 15-20 miles of me, please give me a call. I would love to come and collect those bees. That way I can help you by making sure that the swarm doesn’t decide to take up residence in your wall or attic, and you can help me by helping me to collect bees to fill another hive. But don’t wait too long. The sooner I know they are there, the more likely I am to be able to get to you before they pick a new home for themselves and move on. When you call, it is helpful to have a picture you can share by text or email so I can confirm what you have is honey bees. We often get calls about paper wasp nests, and I can’t help you with those. I will ask you for an estimate of size (using common objects as a reference for a size estimate, for example “basketball sized”) and information about how high up and accessible it is (I have some tools to help me attempt to collect high swarms, but I don’t own a bucket truck and I can’t fly!)
If you are too far from me, check with your local fire department and/or your local bee club, as one or the other or both likely have a list of beekeepers in your area who are available for a “swarm call” and would be happy to pick up your swarm! Below I have added a few links to some bee clubs in the area that have swarm removal contact information, as well as a link to the Michigan Beekeepers Association swarm removal web page, which keeps a map showing the location and contact information of individuals willing to remove swarms.
Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers association – https://www.sembabees.org/Report-A-Swarm
Chelsea Area Beekeepers – https://chelseaareabeekeepers.com
Kalamazoo Bee Club – https://kalamazoobeeclub.com/?s=swarm
Michigan State Beekeepers Association – https://www.michiganbees.org/Swarm-Removal-List