Bee swarms are a relatively common occurrence in September, October and November in Western Australia but can be found at other times of the year too. Swarming is a response to lack of space in the hive and typically happens as spring nectar flows start and hive numbers need to expand.  A decision is made by the hive to take the Queen and her workers to a new, spacious home where they can maximise the nectar on offer.

When bees swarm they are most unlikely to sting, so despite their appearance, people should not fear them, just treat them with respect. When a cluster of bees is seen hanging on a tree branch or similar, they are NOT thinking of setting up home there! They are in transition, clustered around their Queen and waiting for the scout bees to find new accommodation.

This is the best time to remove them - before they make a permanent home somewhere inconvenient and become a feral hive. There are many beekeepers who are available to remove the cluster of bees at this stage - please see our list of Swarmcatchers below.

Feral Hives

Once the scouts find a place to stay the swarm will move to their new location and set up their hive. They will quickly start making comb so the Queen can begin laying and worker bees can begin storing honey supplies. Once they have established themselves they are no longer considered to be a swarm and their placid nature can change.

Typically these new homes will be in holes in established trees, Telstra boxes or reticulation boxes (a favourite location), inside furniture left on your verandah, in gaps between double brick walls, behind weatherboards or any number of inconvenient locations for humans. And getting them out can be tricky. Sometimes accessing bees in these locations may require weatherboards or bricks to be removed or trees to be lopped and in some cases the only viable option is to euthanase the bees. 

There are many beekeepers who will help remove established colonies like this too. They often refer to these more difficult removals as "cut outs". It is always a good idea to check with a beekeeper before calling in a pest control service.

Swarmcatchers

The Western Australian Apiarists Society (WAAS) as an amateur organisation does not provide or endorse any swarm catching or bee removal services or business, but we do have a list of members who are happy to tackle swarm catching and feral hive removal. Members mostly charge a fee for their work and you are advised to discuss this with them when contact is made. 

As general information, WAAS advises that members of the public who intend on contacting anyone for potential bee related work should consider the following points below, as a minimum;

• Is the person adequately insured, considering the proposed activity?
• Does the person have the required expertise?
• How long has the person been undertaking similar activities?
• Is the person adequately equipped to undertake the activity?
• Does the person charge for their service?

The following individuals have indicated their availability to provide services with respect to bee related activities and have met the basic criteria of being WAAS members with signficant experience in catching swarms.

It will help our Swarmcatchers if you can provide photos of the swarm or feral hive.

Please note that our Swarmcatchers will mostly charge for their services - especially for difficult jobs. This covers their time, travel expenses and equipment costs.

 To report bees in Telstra pits, please call 132200 and say “Report damages” and give the closest physical address. Only Telstra registered beekeepers are allowed to access Telstra equipment to remove bees.