Honey Bee Swarms

Our volunteers can collect honey bee swarms but do not deal with wasps. Please see the questionnaire attached at the bottom of the page to check your identification.

Honey bees

Individual bees are browny/orange. Many bees foraging together on a flowering bush are not a swarm

Swarms are easily recognised - the air seems to be filled with thousands of bees which may move on, or they may come to settle somewhere near you. A swarm of honey bees soun

ds scary but they are unlikely to sting. They are just looking for a new home, sending out scouts while they cluster in a safe place - usually but not always in a tree. Sometimes they may make a home in a compost bin, post box, chimney or similar.
Removal of a swarm involves two visits; on

e during the day to box the main swarm, and one later in the evening after all the scout bees have returned.

Wasps

Wasps are slighly larger and mainly yellow and black

Wasps are not normally found on flowers but are attracted to fruit

Wasp nests are often found in roof voids, close to eaves of garages and sheds. Wasps gain entry through tiles or eaves.Wasps nests are papery. Wasps do not produce wax or honey

To remove a wasp nest you will need to contact a commercial operative, but do remember that for most of the spring and summer wasps are the gardener's ally as they feed their young with all kinds of pests. Contact Hampshire Wasp Control here

Bumblebees

Bumble bees are furry and very variable in size and colour. They are found on flowers.

Bumble bees are generally harmless, beneficial to the garden, and are best left alone.
Bumble bees may nest in a bird box or on the ground, either down an old mouse hole or in a compost heap. They will leave naturally at the end of the summer and are most unlikely to sting.
However in a nuisance/pest situation we may be able to help with removal. There is a charge for this service of £20.

If you encounter a swarm please don't panic, leave the bees undisturbed and telephone one of the beekeepers listed below. Please remember that these people are volunteers and may not necessarily be available to help you immediately.

Apart from giving your name, address and telephone number, it will be helpful if you can give as much information as possible - size of the swarm, its location, height from the ground and when the swarm arrived. Please be prepared to answer the questions in the swarm questionnaire available at the bottom of the page.

Area covered	Beekeeper	Telephone
Kempshott, Oakley, Brighton Hill	Chris Rose	01256 320098 or 07947774476
South Ham, Kempshott, South Basingstoke	Chris Flemming (not Thursdays)	01256 468379
Cliddesden / Basingstoke centre	Chris Mounty	01256 329064
Bramley / Tadley / Sherborne St John	Dr Richard Pettifer (Not Tues or Thurs until after 3)	01256851023 or 0773912227
Mapledurwell, Old Basing,Lychpit	Laraine Kuntze	07845 217922
Overton West of Basingstoke	Linda Jenkins	07525 738018
Highclere to Baughurst North west of Basingtsoke	Charles Oliver Bellasis	01488 608409 07831 521812
Basingstoke North East and overall coordination of swarm collections	Eric & Jenny Denton	01256 882244

If the insects you are concerned about are not described here they may be solitary bees. We have about 240 species in the UK. Many of them look similar to honey bees but their life cycle and behaviour are very different. For information on these please look at our solitary bees page.

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Swarmquestionnairev3.doc

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chris rose,

10 Mar 2011 08:54

Tips and tricks

Honey Bee Swarms

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