Found a Bee Swarm? What to Do

A swarm is a cluster of honey bees that has left a hive to find a new home, and finding one hanging in your tree or on a fence can look alarming. It is usually nothing to fear. Swarming bees have no hive or stores to defend and are generally docile, so the right response is to leave them alone and call someone who can collect them.

What a swarm is

When a colony outgrows its hive in spring or early summer, the old queen leaves with around half the bees to start somewhere new. They cluster on a branch or post while scout bees look for a permanent home. The cluster might sit for a few hours or a day or two before moving on. They are full of honey for the journey and have nothing to protect, which is why they are usually calm.

What to do

• Keep people and pets back and give the swarm space, but do not panic
• Do not spray it, hose it, or try to knock it down, which only makes bees defensive
• Contact a local beekeeping club or beekeeper, many keep swarm collection lists
• Note where it is and how high up, so a collector knows what they are coming to
• If it is inside a wall or roof cavity, you may need a beekeeper who does cut-outs

Bees or wasps?

Make sure it is actually bees. A docile brown furry cluster is honey bees and a beekeeper will often collect it for free. A shiny papery nest with bright yellow aggressive insects is wasps, which a beekeeper will not want and which are dealt with by a pest controller. Our bee identification guide helps you tell the difference before you make the call.

If you keep bees yourself, swarm prevention is part of spring management. Giving the colony room, managing queen cells and keeping the hive from getting congested all reduce the chance your own bees are the ones turning up in a neighbour's tree.