For general enquiries concerning beekeeping, please send an email to the Society Secretary
For enquiries on how to join our Society please send an email to our Membership Secretary
If you suspect there is a swarm of honey bees outside your property or on a public area, having read the guidance notes below, you can report the swarm via the Beeswarm.uk website HERE. Any of our members interested in collecting swarms in that area will then be notified and will be in touch if they are able to remove them. Please remember that we are amateur beekeepers and that whilst we will endeavour to deal with all requests, sometimes it is not possible to assist, either due to the location of the swarm or the availability of volunteers in that location. Please note that we unlikely to respond to requests where the bees are located within a roof space, chimney or wall cavity. If we are unable to deal with the swarm, or you have not had any response within 48 hours of reporting your problem, then you will need to employ the services of a professional pest controller.
Please read the notes below if you are reporting a swarm. Please remember, also, that wasps, bumblebees and honey bees are all pollinators as are hoverflies, butterflies, moths and other insects. They are all doing an important and valuable job.
WASPS - Please note that the Society DOES NOT deal with wasps, they will need to be removed by an approved pest control company.
BUMBLEBEES - Please note that the Society DOES NOT deal with Bumble bees. Bumblebees don’t usually cause a problem, live in much smaller colonies than honey bees (up to a few hundreds compared to tens of thousands) and will abandon the nest site at the end of the season (normally Late July, latest end October). That is the best time to fill up the entrance hole if you do not wish them to populate the space in future years. Bear in mind though that blocking the one hole does not prevent Bumblebees from finding another 'cosy corner' in your house or garden. The Society does not remove Bumblebees either but if you would like more information about them, including when and how to move a nest, please take a look a the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
HONEY BEES - Members are generally happy to be contacted about any reported swarm of honey bees, provided that it is accessible. Often the bees will swarm to a tree or hedge within easy reach of the ground before finding a permanent new home.
What is a Honey Bee Swarm - Basically a swarm is the mass movement of honey bees from one home to the next. The most common reason for the bees to do this is when a colony gets to a certain size and splits into two colonies, this is normal behaviour and is just the bees way of expanding.
A swarm can be quite a frightening sight when ‘on the wing’ with possibly thousands (or tens of thousands) of bees swirling around. Once they land and group together they appear much calmer, and you could almost walk past without noticing them.
Bees grouped together hanging from a branch
Our members are normally happy to come and collect a honey bee swarm and rehouse them in a safe and appropriate site. This helps alleviate the possible problems caused when the bees decide to make their home in your house, outbuilding or somewhere else equally problematic.
If you have such a swarm and would like it collected by a beekeeper, please report it to our Secretary with the following information:-
1) Name - Your name (if you are reporting on behalf of someone else please include their name in the 'Message'.
2) Post Code - Location of the swarm or your address post code if it is close by. Please do not provide full address at this stage. That can be provided to the volunteer that contacts you to collect.
3) Email address - include your email address (if you are reporting on behalf of someone else and would like us to correspond with them please include their email address in the 'Message'.
4) Phone Number - include your own land line or mobile number (if you are reporting on behalf of someone else please also include their landline and/or mobile number in the 'Message'.
5) Subject - this should include an indication of the area the swarm is located e.g. Swarm in Sketty
6) Details - please describe in as much detail as possible:
In or on what the swarm is located including how high off the ground e.g. I have identified honeybees approx. 2m off the ground in a bush in my garden.
If the swarm is on your property or someone else's and if there is any restriction to access
How long the swarm has been in the location you are reporting (if you know).
Any other information you feel may be relevant should be included (Do not Include your full postal address, only Post Code and contact details).
It would help greatly if you can include/upload a photo of the swarm and the item the swarm is on.
A message will be sent to Society members closest to you that are part of our swarm collection team. The message will include the above information and you (or the person on whose property the swarm is) will hopefully be contacted for further details and provide additional advice if it is unable to be collected.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE:
If the swarm is high in a tree, or in an inaccessible part of the building, we will probably not be able to collect it. If the bees are in a chimney, we regret we cannot access them and the best advice that we can provide is, if the chimney is open, to smoke them out immediately, before they have a chance to settle. It is a natural reaction for the bees to move on if there is smoke and fire near them. If the chimney has not been used for some time then please balance this option with the risk of setting the chimney alight.
If they are in a cavity wall or roof space, we regret we cannot collect them unless the space can be opened e.g. a flat roof is being re-covered, tiles/slates being removed for access and necessary scaffolding in place. If the bees are causing a problem they may have to be destroyed, which we would not do (the services of a BPCA or NPTA registered pest control company would be required and they should be informed that you have already contacted the local Beekeepers Society and no other option is available) and the area made bee proof after treatment to prevent robbing by other bees or other swarms being attracted to the site.