Honey Bee Swarm Removal

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Honeybee swarms are often found hanging on trees, fences, picnic tables, and the sides of structures. Typically, these swarms comprise between 10,000 and 16,000 honeybees. Dr. Chip Taylor, a retired professor from The University of Kansas, has shared insights from his extensive experience with thousands of Africanized swarms in Central America. He noted that a honeybee swarm in the Midwest generally travels no more than a couple of miles from its original hive, making honeybee swarm services crucial for nearby residents. 

Generally, honeybee swarms are not aggressive and will only sting when provoked. It's interesting to note that one can safely reach into the swarm and collect honeybees in bunches, provided they don’t feel trapped. Africanized or “killer bee” swarms display similar behavior and anatomical traits as native honeybees, though differences can be identified when examined under a microscope.

Scout bees, which make up about 3-5% of the swarm, are essential in locating a suitable place to establish a permanent colony. They favor confined spaces like a five-gallon bucket with a minimal entrance. Within hours to days, swarms find their permanent location, often seeking refuge in hollow trees in the wild.

In residential areas, honeybees might select man-made structures as nesting sites. Common locations include roofline overhang areas or around fireplaces where insulation has pulled away. A typical entrance for these bees is behind a woodpecker hole in the exterior siding, where insulation is missing. They prefer an opening of one-eighth inch or larger, particularly where caulk is split for easy access.

When honeybees are reachable, they can be captured and relocated. Using our reliable swarm relocation services, swarms can be gently slid into a 5-gallon bucket, potentially leaving behind a few stragglers who will disperse over the next 24 to 48 hours. While it's not ideal to leave stragglers at the original location—since they can cause unnecessary concern—using a bucket remains the fastest method, requiring just one trip.

An effective technique involves shaking the bees into a commercial beehive until nightfall to gather them, as honeybees typically move into the hive after dark. Therefore, relocating the hive is best done outside of daylight hours.

In some situations, a honeybee vacuum helps draw the bees into a netted box for easier transfer into a commercial beehive. However, this method is not completely effective, often leaving stragglers behind. Vacuuming is sometimes necessary when immediate removal from a densely populated area is required—for example, we successfully removed bees from a tree in an outdoor beer garden in Westport using this method, ensuring timely completion before patrons arrived.

Once honeybees settle into a structure or tree, removal can be quite challenging. The sooner you contact our pest control Kansas City services, the better! Although swarms are typically friendly, they can become aggressive and sting if threatened. Most cases of on-site swarm removal are free, and we only charge a small trip fee to cover our expenses.

See swarm catch pictures here.