ABKA

Avon Beekeepers Website


A Registered Charity - No. 271717

ABKA

Dealing with Swarms

If you wish to contact a local beekeeper for assistance please remember that the beekeeper is not insured against personal injury or damage to his equipment. Assistance will only be given if you undertake that the beekeeper will not be responsible for any damage or injury that may inadvertently occur in the attempt to remove the bees. Nobody should remain in the area when the beekeeper is working unless looking out from indoors with windows and doors closed. When possible, we will do our best to assist with the collection of Swarms of Bees, but we are not under any legal obligation to do so.

When you have a swarm of bees first spend a few moments gathering some useful information before you try to ring up for help:

You will be asked:

  1. Are they Honeybees: This may seem strange but beekeepers can only collect honeybees. They will not normally deal with anything else. A large cluster of insects about the size of a football hanging or surrounding something say a branch, is likely to be a colony of bees, especially if you have earlier seen a  large cloud of flying insects. Insects going in and out from the eves of a roof are more likely to be wasps. Large furry insects coming from a hole or from under a shed are likely to be bumblebees. 
  2. Are they in a visible cluster: This is important to the person collecting the bees; In this state they are often easy to collect. Once they have found an enclosed place like an empty disused chimney they are difficult to extract alive, especially if they have been there for more than a few hours.
  3. How long have they been there: Bees swarm and then form a temporary cluster while scout bees look for a permanent home. This can take from a couple of hours to a few days, but typically takes 1-2 days. Bees tend to swarm late morning or early afternoon on sunny days. Ideally the beekeeper will collect the swarm and place it into a temporary hive, leaving it until dusk to ensure bees have returned before removing it.
  4. Can the beekeeper access the bees: Be able to describe where the bees are and how the beekeeper can access the bees.
  5. Can you give the beekeeper a contact phone number.

Beekeepers You can Contact

  Beekeepers you can contact in the area to find whether there is a beekeeper that can help you with a swarm and give you advice.





Branch
Contact
Telephone
Bath district
Pat Pegrum 01225 767718
Blagdon & Clevedon  district
Jon Webber
"Beeline"
078202199757
07890223934
Bristol district
Brian Steadman 0117 9445741
Keynsham district
David Jack
Dave Hardy
Eric Martin
01179 863417
07816927770
01225 874799
Weston-super-Mare district
Mark Tilley
01934 822210
07976 637131








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