If you find a swarm – call us at: 757-255-0989, 757-560-3788, or 757-593-8639
Honey bee swarming is a natural occurrence for healthy colonies and, in fact, is typically seen as a sign of a healthy population of bees. In the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, honey bee swarms are typically seen starting in late March and continue through mid June. After June, swarms may still occur, but become much less frequent as the summer progresses. Peak swarming events are typically seen in early April through May. Swarms usually happen in late morning (after 10:00 am) through early afternoon (before 3:00 pm).
Swarms can land in very strange places and sometimes stay permanently, but often just stay briefly (one hour up to a couple days) until an adequate home can be found. It is very important to quickly relocate honey bee swarms to a safe and suitable home before they take up residence in an undesirable location.
These are the things you should do if a honey bee swarm lands on your property:
- Immediately contact a local beekeeper to remove the swam. Simple swarm removals will be a free service.
- Be prepared to provide a description of the swarm to the beekeeper such as its location, how high off the ground, how large is it, how long the bees have been there, and confirmation that they are ‘honey bees’, etc. A cell phone picture can be very helpful.
- Do not disturb the swarm. In general, honey bee swarms are very docile, but please keep your distance to best insure your safety.
- Remove pets and all animals from the swarm site.
- Important: Please DO NOT spray the swarm with insecticide!!
Horseshoe Point Honey LLC has over 20 years of experience with honey bees. We provide free bee removal services for simple swarms (those not living inside a structure) in most of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, including: Suffolk, Smithfield, Isle of Wight, Carrollton, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake. Please give us a call. If we can’t help you, we know most beekeepers in the area and will provide the names of responsible and experienced beekeepers who will promptly collect the swarm. For those who have bees living inside their home or other structures, we also provide free referrals to experts in Honey bee colony removal.
Call us at: 757-255-0989, 757-560-3788, or 757-593-8639.
Please help to save the bees!
Video of a Swarm Capture at Horseshoe Point Honey
Contact Us
Horseshoe Point Honey LLC
Suffolk, VA 23432
757-255-0989