Swarms – what do I do?
The first thing to do is to work out what insects you are looking at. Unless you know the differences, honey bees, bumble bees, wasps, hornets and other yellow and black flying insects can cause confusion. Before you do anything, please first go to Common types of bees and wasps to see whether we can help you. We will not be able to help unless you have a problem with honey bees. Under no circumstances will we be able to help with wasp or hornet removal.
If you think you have honey bees, then please:
1. Contact us as soon as possible at swarms@sabka.org leaving your name and telephone number or ring Anne Wingate (01727 874626) and you will be contacted as soon as we are able to deal with your query. Swarms may not stay in one place for long (often swarms that are greater than 9ft from the ground will move on within 24hours) and rain can break up the cluster and so we will contact you as quickly as we can. We are always pleased to be able to help whenever we can with the removal of honey bee swarms.
2. It is wise to keep away from the swarm and prevent children and dogs from getting close. Honey bee swarms can appear very frightening, especially to children, and dogs can cause trouble by getting too excited if the swarm is within reach. In fact, when honey bees swarm, they are probably at their most docile, they are simply focused on looking for a new home and looking after the queen who is travelling with them. They do not “look for trouble” and you will be pleased to know that the “Killer Bees” seen in movies do not exist in the UK.
If you have wasps or hornets:
Please note that SABKA will not remove wasp or hornet nests under any circumstances. If you have a problem with wasps, please first visit St Albans City & District Council (Wasp information) if you are on benefits to see if you qualify for removal for a discounted fee, or otherwise contact SDK (Environmental) Ltd on 01753 538819 (Email: support@sdke.co.uk) who, for a fee, will remove them for you.
If you have any other sort of bee, including bumble bees, by far the best thing to do is to leave them alone (cordon them off if possible) until the autumn and let them enjoy life. They will die away naturally in the autumn. If you have bumble bees and they have to be moved, then please contact us as above and we may be able to help, but that cannot be guaranteed. Please note that moving or disturbing a bumble bee nest often results in the death of the bees.