NEED Help COLLECTING Swarms?
Review the information below before calling a beekeeper willing to collect swarms.
For the removal of established honey bee hives in walls, trees or other locations see the bottom of this page. Need help figuring out if the bees are an established colony or a swarm? Click HERE for some detailed information on swarm collection and removal of established colonies.
If you have a SWARM follow these steps:
1. Relax - When bees are swarming they are generally docile. They will merely find a suitable spot to gather, as a temporary measure, while they send out scout bees to find a more permanent location as a new home. They are not too choosy about where this temporary spot will be, it could be in a tree/bush, on a clothesline, a fence, a bicycle, anywhere that they can land to form a cluster to protect their queen. If the honey bees that seem to have made a home already, eg, in a tree or log, or inside a structure (wall, roof, etc), they are an established colony and removing them is a Trap Out (TO) or Cut Out (CO) situation. Beekeepers willing to consider assisting in this situation are shown at the bottom of this page.
2. Make Observations - Expect the beekeeper you call to ask questions to determine next steps. Notes to make: Are they honey bees or other similar insects? Where are the bees? How high above the ground? What size is the swarm? (tennis ball, basketball, etc) How long it has been in this spot? Bees that have recently settled and clustered together are a swarm. If the bees have been living there for a while, it is an established colony. Take photos to help indicate cluster size, location details, site considerations (power lines, slopes, obstructions, etc).
3. Contact a Beekeeper - Use our geographically oriented Swarm List to identify a beekeeper who is willing to travel to the area where the swarm is located. The beekeepers listed may not be able to help you immediately, you may (will probably) have to make a few calls to find someone available to help. Leave clear, concise voicemails with your contact information and location of the swarm. If the person you call cannot respond in a timely manner, tell them that you will try the next person on the list. Scout bees in the swarm are actively looking for a new home and may leave your location within a few hours. We hope that you think that it is worthwhile to patiently partner with the beekeeper(s) that you call to work together to save the bees!
4. Property Rights/Liabilities- If the bees are not on your property, you will need to provide the beekeeper with contact info for the person who owns the property or the tenant. SABA posts names for swarm collection as a public service, any arrangements made are between you and the beekeeper that agrees to do the collection. SABA does not employ, recommend or endorse any beekeeper's skill, training or expertise. Please check with individual beekeepers for their qualifications.
5. Safe Distance - Sit back, watch and wait for the beekeeper to arrive. Any beekeeper will tell you that there is something very magical about a swarm. There is an electric feeling in the air, as the bees swirl round before clustering in a ball. Watching a swarm being collected is an experience that you will not soon forget!
6. Tell Others or Contribute - Share your positive experience with bees and beekeepers with others! Bees often get negative press and we want to make sure that more people learn more about these amazing insects. Please consider donating to SABA using the button below or completing the donation form that the responding beekeeper provides to give online or mail a donation. Your contributions make this swarm list possible!
For the removal of established honey bee hives in walls, trees or other locations see the bottom of this page. Need help figuring out if the bees are an established colony or a swarm? Click HERE for some detailed information on swarm collection and removal of established colonies.
If you have a SWARM follow these steps:
1. Relax - When bees are swarming they are generally docile. They will merely find a suitable spot to gather, as a temporary measure, while they send out scout bees to find a more permanent location as a new home. They are not too choosy about where this temporary spot will be, it could be in a tree/bush, on a clothesline, a fence, a bicycle, anywhere that they can land to form a cluster to protect their queen. If the honey bees that seem to have made a home already, eg, in a tree or log, or inside a structure (wall, roof, etc), they are an established colony and removing them is a Trap Out (TO) or Cut Out (CO) situation. Beekeepers willing to consider assisting in this situation are shown at the bottom of this page.
2. Make Observations - Expect the beekeeper you call to ask questions to determine next steps. Notes to make: Are they honey bees or other similar insects? Where are the bees? How high above the ground? What size is the swarm? (tennis ball, basketball, etc) How long it has been in this spot? Bees that have recently settled and clustered together are a swarm. If the bees have been living there for a while, it is an established colony. Take photos to help indicate cluster size, location details, site considerations (power lines, slopes, obstructions, etc).
3. Contact a Beekeeper - Use our geographically oriented Swarm List to identify a beekeeper who is willing to travel to the area where the swarm is located. The beekeepers listed may not be able to help you immediately, you may (will probably) have to make a few calls to find someone available to help. Leave clear, concise voicemails with your contact information and location of the swarm. If the person you call cannot respond in a timely manner, tell them that you will try the next person on the list. Scout bees in the swarm are actively looking for a new home and may leave your location within a few hours. We hope that you think that it is worthwhile to patiently partner with the beekeeper(s) that you call to work together to save the bees!
4. Property Rights/Liabilities- If the bees are not on your property, you will need to provide the beekeeper with contact info for the person who owns the property or the tenant. SABA posts names for swarm collection as a public service, any arrangements made are between you and the beekeeper that agrees to do the collection. SABA does not employ, recommend or endorse any beekeeper's skill, training or expertise. Please check with individual beekeepers for their qualifications.
5. Safe Distance - Sit back, watch and wait for the beekeeper to arrive. Any beekeeper will tell you that there is something very magical about a swarm. There is an electric feeling in the air, as the bees swirl round before clustering in a ball. Watching a swarm being collected is an experience that you will not soon forget!
6. Tell Others or Contribute - Share your positive experience with bees and beekeepers with others! Bees often get negative press and we want to make sure that more people learn more about these amazing insects. Please consider donating to SABA using the button below or completing the donation form that the responding beekeeper provides to give online or mail a donation. Your contributions make this swarm list possible!
Support the SABA Swarm List:
or Download Donation Form - Below
| SABA Swarm Donation Form |
Bees or Wasps?
Use this checklist to make sure that you have found bees and not wasps before using the SABA Swarm List.
 Bee
Bee
|
 Wasp
Wasp
|
list of swarm collectors
This list of beekeepers is compiled from information submitted to us by the individuals who appear on this list. The Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association does not employ or represent any of the individuals on this list. Some, but not all, may be members of the Association. The list is in no way a recommendation or endorsement of the beekeeper's skill, training or experience. Please check with individual beekeepers for their qualifications.
Name |
Geographic Location(s) |
Contact Info |
Availability Notes |
removal of established honey bee colonies
in walls, trees or other locations
Name |
Geographic Location(s) |
Contact Info |
Expertise/Notes |
Gary Burns |
Sacramento Area, Roseville/ Hwy 80/65, Folsom/ Hwy 50, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova |
Traffic Accidents |
|
DW Schoenthal |
All Areas |
Trees, Buildings, High above ground, Traffic Accidents, Other Bees (Bumble Bees etc) |
|
Kevin Senser |
All Areas |
Trees, Buildings, High above ground, Traffic Accidents |
|
Ginger Shepherd |
Elk Grove/Delta, Stockton/Lodi |
Trees, Buildings, Traffic Accidents, Other Bees (Bumble Bees etc) |
|
Bar |
Sacramento Area, Roseville/ Hwy 80/65, Folsom/ Hwy 50 |
Trees, Buildings, High above ground, Traffic Accidents, Other Bees (Bumble Bees etc) |
|
Doug Peccianti |
ARDEN/ARCADE CARMICHAEL ONLY |
Trees, Traffic Accidents, TREES 15' AND UNDER |
|
Brad Thomas |
Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights |
Trees, Traffic Accidents |
|
Jeff Goding |
All Areas |
Trees, Buildings, High above ground, Traffic Accidents, Other Bees (Bumble Bees etc) |
|
Blake Dacy |
All Areas |
Trees, Buildings, High Above Ground, Traffic Accidents |
|
Paul Lockhart |
All Areas, Esp. Galt, Lodi, Elk Grove |
Cut outs |
|
Fred haelig |
Roseville/ Hwy 80/65, Folsom/ Hwy 50 |
Trees, Buildings, High above ground, Traffic Accidents |
OTHER RESOURCES for Swarm Capture Referrals:
Sacramento County
Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies
2110 X Street, Sacramento CA 95818
916 451-2337 - Closed Sun. & Mon.
Counties in the Foothills:
El Dorado Beekeepers
https://eldoradobeekeepers.org/
Swarm Removal Link
https://eldoradobeekeepers.org/swarm-removal/
Nevada County Beekeepers Association
Swarm Line for Nevada and Yuba County
Lynn Williams: 530-675-2924
iamlynn@hughes.net
Karla Hanson: 530-265-3756
queenbeez@att.net
Beekeepers of Napa County
Swarm list
Eastern Bay Area
Mt Diablo Beekeepers Association
Swarm list
Elsewhere
CA State Beekeepers Association
Link to affiliated clubs
Sacramento County
Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies
2110 X Street, Sacramento CA 95818
916 451-2337 - Closed Sun. & Mon.
Counties in the Foothills:
El Dorado Beekeepers
https://eldoradobeekeepers.org/
Swarm Removal Link
https://eldoradobeekeepers.org/swarm-removal/
Nevada County Beekeepers Association
Swarm Line for Nevada and Yuba County
Lynn Williams: 530-675-2924
iamlynn@hughes.net
Karla Hanson: 530-265-3756
queenbeez@att.net
Beekeepers of Napa County
Swarm list
Eastern Bay Area
Mt Diablo Beekeepers Association
Swarm list
Elsewhere
CA State Beekeepers Association
Link to affiliated clubs
