Report A Swarm

Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association (SABA) has member volunteers to collect honey bee swarms on private or public property–in most cases for free. Most of our members are hobbyist beekeepers, though some are small commercial beekeepers, in the Sacramento area. If you have a swarm on your property, don’t panic.

Why do bees swarm?

Bee swarms are a natural response to an overcrowded hive and half or more of the colony depart to look for a new nesting cavity. When bees are swarming they are generally docile. They will merely find a suitable spot to gather, as a temporary measure, while they send out scout bees to find a more permanent location as a new home. They are not too choosy about where this temporary spot will be, it could be in a tree/bush, on a clothesline, a fence, a bicycle, anywhere that they can land to form a cluster to protect their queen. With no brood nest to defend they are at their calmest. A swarm may cluster for a few hours or a few days before flying off to their new home.

If the honeybees seem to have made a home already, such as, in a tree, chimney, or inside a structure (wall, roof, etc) they are an established colony and no longer a swarm. The bees can still be safely removed, but the extraction process is more complicated. Removing an established colony is a Trap Out (TO) or Cut Out (CO) situation.  A colony extraction requires a bee removal specialist. There will be a fee, to be negotiated with the specialist.

What to Expect

A beekeeper volunteer will arrive with equipment to encourage most of the bee swarm to move into a box. Over the next few hours, the rest of the honey bee swarm will join their sisters in the box. The beekeeper may leave with the majority of the swarm captured or may return to remove the box at dusk and take it to a safe location where it can thrive.

If a honey bee colony is established inside a house, for example, living in the chimney or an attic, it’s no longer a swarm. The bees can still be safely removed. But the extraction process is more complicated. There are bee removal specialists experienced in doing such extractions. There may be a fee to be negotiated with the individual specialist.  Below is a list of bee removal specialists compiled from information submitted to us by the individuals who appear in this list. 

We can only collect swarms that appear to be on public land or where we believe we have been given permission by the property owner or the tenant in control of the property. If you see a swarm on private property and you’re not the owner, try to get the owner to call us.

Also, understand that we can’t return swarms we collect. (Legally speaking, swarming bees that are not “continuously within eyesight” of the original owner are considered wild animals and become the property of the collector.)

This list of beekeepers is compiled from information submitted to us by the individuals who appear on this list. The list is currently covering Sacramento County areas due to the reduced membership.

The Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association publishes and distributes these swarm contact lists as an educational service to the public.  While we do our best to train and vet those on these lists, we are neither an oversight nor certification organization for beekeepers. SABA does not employ, recommend, or endorse any beekeeper’s skill, training, or expertise. Please check with individual beekeepers for their qualifications. Though problems are very rare, members of the public engage individual beekeepers on this list on their own accord.

Need help with a swarm in an area not listed? See the California State Beekeepers Association list of Affiliated Clubs in all areas of California to find a club or association near you. Two clubs near Sacramento County are El Dorado Beekeepers (eastward) and Big Valley Beekeepers Guild (southern).

If you have honeybees (not wasps, yellow jackets, or hornets) in a wall, tree, or a structure on your property, please call a professional to safely remove the bees. As a courtesy, below is a list of bee removal specialists who are experienced, licensed, insured, and may charge a fee for service.

The Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association publishes and distributes these swarm contact lists as an educational service to the public.  While we do our best to train and vet those on these lists, we are neither an oversight nor certification organization for beekeepers. SABA does not employ, recommend, or endorse any beekeeper’s skill, training, or expertise. Please check with individual beekeepers for their qualifications. Though problems are very rare, members of the public engage individual beekeepers on this list on their own accord