There are many types of honey bees and they range in colour from black through to tan as seen below, this is a picture of a female bee from one of my hives. (Honey bee)

Honey Bee

Colonies of Bees will sometimes swarm in April, May, June and July.  When a colony is strong enough it will divide and half the bees and one queen will fly off to make a new home.  It is their way of natural reproduction to ensure the survival of the species.  At the time that a colony swarms the bees will gorge themselves on honey, taking enough food to survive for a few days.  In this condition, with their stomachs full, they are docile if left alone.  Even if one or two bees land on you, after a moment they will fly off. 

Do not be alarmed, just walk away and leave them to settle.

Should you find a cluster of honey bees in your garden or elsewhere a beekeeper will usually be able to remove the cluster. The beekeeper will advise the best action and arrange to collect the swarm. If they have been on site for more than a few days you may see honey comb hanging down with the bees clustered on it, in most cases we will also remove this as well.


What you should do?
Stay away from the colony, close any open doors and windows and keep your pets indoors if possible, the buzzing may sound loud and you will see a few bees flying about, do not disturb them or spray them with a hose.

What will the beekeeper do?
Swarms are best collected in the early evening.  They should not be collected during the day as many of the bees are still flying.  If a cluster is removed before 4-5pm many flying bees will be left behind. Remaining bees will be hopelessly confused and may become a nuisance.

The beekeeper will arrive with equipment and carefully rehouse the bees in a cardboard box or straw skep for transporting them. The process is interesting and the beekeeper will always be glad to explain what he is doing.


Please be aware that all species of bees should not be harmed as they are generally docile when they have swarmed.


Contact the following numbers for a beekeeper who will arrange collection;

We only collect honey bees, if you have a wasps please contact the council.

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Bumble bees are beneficial insects and will not be collected. They are harmless if left alone and are fascinating to watch as they hop from flower to flower and glide around your garden with a gentle humming sound.

Bumble bees are generally larger and have a lot more hair or fur, the second picture shows a typical bumble bee nest. The nest is completely different from either honey bees or wasps. 

Beekeepers get many requests to sort out bumble bees that have nested under garden sheds or compost heaps etc. Beekeepers do not work with bumble bees, and past experience has shown that trying to collect and move them always sees the colony dying out. To be sure you are looking at bumble bees, not honey bees, see under the swarms heading and check. Bumble bees are beneficial insects, do a great job in pollinating, and though a bit large and noisy, will not harm if left alone. They will die out come the winter, when the entrance can be blocked off, though they do not normally return to the same nest site the following year. The local council will not normally destroy bumble bees unless they are a genuine nuisance, by nesting indoors for example, and if called out will probably charge for doing so. If you are worried about children and pets, you could look at making a temporary fence to put their flight path above head height. They can be fascinating to watch, and the BBKA website at britishbee.org.uk has a kids section which covers bumble bees. Googling bumblebees will uncover a host of sites with information on these bees.

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Wasps and Hornets are regarded as pests 

Paul Sweet - 01264 720408

Gosport Council
Then click the link pest control treatment and advice

Fareham Council

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Swarm Collection Videos

Sam collecting a swarm 

I was called to collect a swarm in Stubbington.