Help With Swarms

The following contacts hold the list of beekeepers willing to collect swarms within about 15miles of Cambridge and should be able to give you contact details for a beekeeper in your area:

Police and Local Authorities
Cambridge City Council    01223 457890
East Cambs District Council   01353 616283
Fenland District Council   01354 654321
South Cambs District Council   08450 450063
Cambridgeshire Police   03454 564564

Members of Cambridgeshire Beekeepers Association (CBKA)
Chris and Judith Evans   01480 461203
Dick Ramsay, Coton   01954 210985

A swarm of honey bees numbers thousands of bees and forms a tight cluster hanging somewhere like on a tree, shrub or wall. It’s size is typically that of a rugby ball or larger. Large numbers of bees flying in and out of an opening or feeding on flowers does not constitute a swarm. Bumble bees and wasps do not swarm.

The location of a swarm of honey bees will determine whether it can be collected by a beekeeper.  He/she cannot remove an established colony from within walls, roof, chimney or hollow trees, but may be willing to take an accessible swarm if it is not too high from the ground.  Swarms often move on to a permanent nest site after only a few hours, so please check from time to time that the assistance of a beekeeper is still required.

Bumble bees are valuable pollinators, are becoming rare, and should be conserved.  They often nest in holes in the ground.  A colony will die out in the autumn and are unlikely to reappear in the same place the following spring.  Wasps are beneficial insects but can become a nuisance at certain times of year.  Nests of wasps also die out in the autumn but can be dealt with by the council or by pest control companies for a fee.