What is a swarm?

A swarm is a colony of bees that is on the move and looking for a new home. Swarms generally appear from April to the end of July on warm, still days in the early afternoon. The bees will be resting while they send scouts to look for somewhere to live and will be clustered like a large football, or hanging from somewhere convenient, resembling a large curtain. They are only settled temporarily and unlikely to do any harm. Don’t disturb them and keep the children and pets away from them. The bees will eventually move off.

I don’t want the bees, how can I get rid of them?

If you think you have a swarm or a nest of bees in your garden or house that you don’t want, first of all, don’t call 999 and don’t kill the bees! Bees are important pollinators, farmers, gardeners and all of us, need bees to fertilise the plants that produce the crops we eat.

Second, check that the colony you have is in fact bees. Many people mistake wasps and bumblebees for honey bees. To help you identify the different insects, see the table below.

Wasps - Wasps are thin waisted with thin, vivid yellow and black stripes.

Bumblebees - Bumblebees are large, furry looking insects with big bodies and fat legs. They come in a range of colours, buff and brown, black and yellow, but they generally have one or two big stripes of colour.

Honey Bee - Bees are brownish yellow with thick bands of colour and hardly any waist.

If you are sure you have honey bees, you can contact our local swarm officer directly: John Haverson (01264) 781607. John will endeavour to arrange a local beekeeper to come and collect the swarm.

Or Test Valley Council do provide a service for removal of wasps and bees and you can find details of their services at www.testvalley.gov.uk.