*Please note that we do not remove swarms at this time*
HELP! THERE’S A HUGE MASS OF BEES IN MY TREE/YARD! WHAT DO I DO? ARE THEY DANGEROUS?
This is called a swarm, and the bees are not dangerous and are rarely defensive at this time because they have no home to defend. When a hive swarms, the queen bee and roughly half of the worker bees are moving to a new location to begin another beehive. They pile up and send out scout bees to find the ideal new home (a hollow tree for example). When the scouts determine the new home (they actually check out each other’s choices and make a communal decision) the entire swarm takes off in a “galaxy of bees” and flies to their new place. The scary-looking swarm will usually disappear in a day. If bees have swarmed in an area of your home where children or pets can knock or disturb the swarm in any way, please find a local beekeeper to remove them, rather than an exterminator!
*Note: If you are in an area that has Africanized honey bees, then they could be dangerous.
Before you call: Honey bees measure about 15 mm long (or almost 19/32 inch) 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.
- Call an Exterminator.
Those are probably wasps if you can see a nest covering that looks like a dull gray paper.
- Call an Exterminator.
But if you’re looking at a hanging blob of thousands of bees, that may be a honey bee swarm. Some people can and will re-home the bees for you.
- Please see the information below to seek assistance.
We don’t perform these tasks.
If you think you have a swarm, please use the links below and do the following
Prepare a short statement with the following information included:
- Location of the Bee Swarm
- How long have the Bees been there?
- Your Contact information
Then use any/all of the following links to post this information and someone will contact you to assist
Beekeepers Guild of Southeast Virginia
Hampton Roads Beekeepers
Nansemond Beekeepers Association Suffolk VA
Tidewater Beekeepers Association
Virginia Beach Bee Club