Bee Swarm helpline for London 07922 147379

Swarms of honeybees usually occur in the spring and early summer, as colonies divide. This is the bees' natural process of reproduction which has been happening for millions of years, to both wild and domesticated bees.

A swarm forms when the old queen and up to half the bees in a colony leave to find somewhere else to live, leaving a new queen and the remaining bees in the original hive. The swarm of honeybees will form a tight cluster, somewhere between the size of melon and a pumpkin.

Once they have left their home, they are vulnerable to the weather and to predators, so they cluster to keep warm, dry and safe. Swarms can buzz alarmingly, but this is usually the bees 'shivering' to keep warm. This cluster will usually find somewhere to hang, a branch, the eaves of a house, a fencepost or even a porch.

The swarm will remain in its temporary position for a few hours, perhaps days, while scouts go out to seek a suitable new permanent home. Eventually a consensus is reached on which of various possibilities they will go to, at which point the whole swarm will "make a bee-line" for it.

If you find a swarm of bees, the first thing to do is to make sure they're honeybees (there's an excellent guide by Peter Hutton here), and the second thing to do is call a 'swarm collector' - an experienced beekeeper who has agreed to offer this service. Although a swarm is unlikely to be a threat to people, it's important to prevent them from setting up home in an unsuitable location, such as a shed, or a roof-space, where they might come into conflict with people or pets, and become a wild colony.

Your council or local police station should have a list of swarm collectors in your borough, and they should always be the first people to ring. If this isn't possible, a national list of swarm collectors is available here. Swarm collection is a voluntary service, but a small charge is usually made to cover the beekeeper's costs or contribute to his Association's funds.

In London and Bromley, we have a Bee Help Line on 07922 147379. If there is no answer, leave a message, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

The beekeeper will usually be able to visit the same day to collect the swarm, sometimes directly, but in difficult cases, by luring them into a temporary home.

After the swarm has been taken away, you may find there are still several bees flying around, and even small clusters may appear. This is normal because, when the beekeeper collects the swarm, some of them will be out looking for a home, and when they return, they won't know where to go. Within a few days, they will have disappeared, usually by joining a nearby colony.

To have the best chance of collecting as many bees as possible, swarm collectors will usually wait until the evening before moving a them, though this can be difficult if there are several swarms to deal with on the same day.

© The London Beekeepers Association