Bee Swarms

Between April and July bee colonies can sometimes swarm. This amazing natural process allows colonies to reproduce. Usually the swarm will settle in a tree or on a post and gather into a ball. They will wait here until scout bees find a new home for them.

Once they have settled, the colony is usually very calm as they are only focussed on finding a new home and aren't interested in people. However, provoking them is not a good idea so you should keep your distance and ensure children and pets are kept away too.

What To Do
We can only help with moving honey bee colonies, and not with wasps, hornets, or bumble bees.

Before calling us, please take a few minutes to try to ensure you have a positive identification of a honey bee swarm.
  • Honey bees are small and vary in colour from golden brown to almost black.
  • Bumble bees are often confused with honeybees, but they are rounder, larger and furrier. Typically bumble bees may create a nest in bird boxes, under decking or in a compost heap.
  • Wasps are a similar size to honeybees, but appear smoother and are bright yellow with black stripes. Wasps typically may create nests in your roof space or your shed.

You may find the identification guide on the BBKA website helpful to work out which you have.

Contact Us
If you have honey bees and they are clustered like those shown in the pictures on this page, in an accessible position, and within Huddersfield or the surrounding areas, then we can arrange for a beekeeper to collect the swarm.          

Swarm Coordinator: David Walker 07379 456371

Our Swarm Collectors
HDBKA has a number of experienced bee keepers across the Huddersfield area, who can collect and re-home swarms of honey bees. Every swarm is different. Some swarms may be removed quite quickly, others may take several hours or require a return visit late in the evening to ensure all bees are collected. All the bee keepers on our swarm duty have agreed to provide this service on a voluntary basis. The service is free but they may ask you to give a small contribution to their travel expenses.

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