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Contents HOME BEE SCHOOL CALENDAR GRANTS NEWS CLUB PHOTOS LIST SERVER LIBRARY SWARMS FOR SALE SCHOLARSHIP NEWSLETTERS RESOURCES |
Honeybee Swarm Information
If you have a swarm, you may call us, however please read below and
make sure they are HONEY BEES first and not something else.
We are not exterminators! SWARMSSwarming is part of the natural reproductive life cycle of honey bees. The swarming season in Massachusetts usually begins in June and can last through August. Warmer
weather, combined with an abundance of nectar and pollen
stimulate the colony to increase in population. This causes
over-crowding which prompts some bees to swarm so they can reproduce.
Swarms usually emerge from the colonies between 10:00am and 2:00pm on
warm sunny days. The old queen together with about half of the bees from the
colony, leave the hive and cluster on a nearby object such as a fence or a
small shrub.
The swarm may remain for a few hours or one to two days while scout
bees search for a permanent nesting site. Once found, the swarm
will move to this site and establish a new colony. Bee swarms are NOT
normally aggressive because they are gorged full of honey and homeless, which
reduces their defensive behavior. A swarm will become increasingly defensive,
if provoked, the longer it remains in a given location. In the original
colony, a new queen emerges and continues to maintain the parent colony.
Please be aware that in some instances the physical location of the swarm
may present challenges. For example, if a swarm is too high in a tree,
retrieval may not be a reasonable or safe option. Swarms located in
structures or otherwise concealed may require the skills of qualified
craftsmen to dismantle and rebuild portions of that structure.
The manpower and equipment necessary to complete this type of retrieval
is an expense that the property owner is expected to bear.
Below you will find a link to a list of Essex County Beekeepers Association members that
are willing to assist in the removal of swarms, answer bee related questions
or point you in a direction to help resolve any bee related issue you may have.
Beekeepers are listed by town for the general geographical area they are
willing to respond to.
Beekeepers Offering Help With Swarms: Printable List here...
Identifing Bees
Before calling an exterminator or a beekeeper, you should attempt to identify what kind bees you have. If they are yellow jackets call an exterminator, if they are honeybees call a beekeeper. Often people confuse yellow jackets with honeybees. Yellow jackets often live in the ground, but can live in structural cavities, such as a house soffit. Honeybees never live in the ground. Honeybees live in large above the ground cavities such as hollow tree trunks. Yellow jackets are brighter yellow in color and are generally more aggressive than honeybees. Honeybees are more brown than yellow and have fuzz on their thorax, while yellow jackets do not have hair on their thorax. Yellow jackets will eat meat and hang around your hamburger, while honey bees are strict vegetarians. Yet another bee sometimes confused with honeybees are Bumble bees. Bumble bees are much larger, yellow and have considerable hair on their thorax. Bumble bees, like honeybees are quite docile and probably should be left alone. The Pollinator.com web site also has an excellent page on identifying bees. |