Canterbury Beekeepers

What to do if you find a swarm

Swarms are a normal part of the life cycle of a honey bee colony.  The old queen or a young newly hatched queen leaves with many of the worker bees, possibly with up to half the colony.  They have filled up with honey and are searching for a new home and so are normally docile and not interested in humans.   They will often find a place to hang from such as a convenient tree, while scout bees go in search of a suitable home, such as a hole in a tree or a building.  

It is easy to think that a lot of bees attracted to the nectar in the flowers of a tree or shrub are a swarm. However, a swarm of bees when at rest will usually form a cluster larger than a tennis ball and more typically the size of a football or even larger.  The pictures below show bumble bees, wasps, solitary bees and honey bees to help identification.

Swarm in a bush                            Two types of bumble bee                              Common wasp

Branch of the Kent Beekeepers Association