Do you remove swarms?
Yes, we offer FREE honeybee swarm removal in Hudson and surrounding areas (Stow, Streetsboro, Kent, Cuyahoga Falls, Twinsburg, Macedonia and many other Summit County and Portage County locations). Call us at 330.422.3939!
I have a swarm – what do I do!?
First – don’t panic. Swarms are chaotic but surprisingly docile. A swarm has no hive, no honey, and no babies to protect – so they are unlikely to sting (although they may warn you to back up by “bonking” you in the head).
Second – call us (330.422.3939). It’s important to act fast because a swarm is only resting while scouts look for a permanent home nearby. Once they find a location they like, the swarm will pack up and disappear just as fast as it arrived.
What does a swarm look like?
This is a swarm: | This is NOT a swarm: |
This is a honeybee: | This is NOT a honeybee: |
Why do honeybees swarm?
A bee swarm is the natural reproductive strategy of a honeybee colony. A strong colony that survives the winter will spend the spring packing the hive with honey, then split in half and attempt to start a second colony. Beekeepers employee several strategies to prevent our colonies from swarming, but there are wild honeybee colonies all around you. Swarms typically occur between mid May to mid June in NEO.
How do you “remove” a swarm?
Each removal is a little unique. For easy to reach swarms we might just shake them into a box. For hard to reach ones, we may use ladders and poles. That said, our favorite method is our custom “bee vac”. It uses juuuust enough suction to pull the bees into a hive box, without harming them.
Unfortunately, we do not offer “cut out” services (a removal that requires us to cut open your home, building, or tree). At this time we are unaware of any beekeeper in northeast Ohio licensed and insured for cut outs.
What do you do with a swarm after you catch them?
We set them up in a new colony isolated from our main bee yard until we are able to properly inspect and treat them for parasites. The Varroa destructor mite is a lethal, but treatable, parasitic mite that we want to keep out of our yard. We monitor the queen to make sure she is healthy, and replace her with one ours if not. Once we are confident the colony is healthy and thriving, we will move them to our main yard.
I don’t have a swarm, but I want to help the bees.
Call us! We would love to put a “swarm trap” on your property if the conditions are right. A swarm trap is a small box that is designed and baited to look and smell like the PERFECT home for a swarm scout. We will hang it from a tree branch, and hopefully a swarm in your area will find it. If you notice bees coming and going from it, just give us a call and we’ll come pick them up.