Don't panic!
A migrating Honey Bee swarm is harmless
if left alone.
A Honey Bee swarm in a tree or bush will normally leave within 72 hours, sometimes in as little as a couple of hours. As long as they are left alone, they are not dangerous. It would be best to call Tennessee’s Honey Bees to have them recovered so that they can be monitored, treated for any disease and/or parasites and managed. Honey Bees are a crucial part of nature and deserve a chance to fly away. Do not spray the Honey Bees with water to try to chase them away or spray them with a bug repellent or bug killer. Any unnecessary stress on the bees can be detrimental to the Honey Bee swarm.
Honey Bee swarms are completely different than established beehives. If you have a newly arrived Honey Bee swarm on a tree, bush or shrub around your house they may just be just resting up. If they are not endangering anyone LEAVE THEM ALONE!! Bee swarms, for the most part, are not aggressive when left alone. It is far better to have them rehomed. They do not deserve to be killed.
Most swarms of Honey Bees land in trees to rest on their way to scout for a new home and will leave within 72 hours most cases within 24 hours. When bees do swarm and land in a tree or bush they all accumulate on top of the queen and form a giant ball of bees which is quite often mistaken for a bee hive. A honey bee swarm consists of thousands of bees all surrounding the queen and keeping her safe while on their journey. It can be very intimidating when they arrive as well as when they leave and it all happens within minutes. On rare occasions, the Queen bee will decide to stay in the tree longer than 72 hours and they will begin building honeycomb and that is when it is time to have them removed this happens maybe 1 out of a 100 times.
It is very important that you treat all bee colonies and swarms as if they are dangerous as one mistake can be a very painful one. Trying to treat bees yourself can end up with serious injuries and even fatalities for you and your neighbors as well as pets if they are allergic.
If possible leave the bee swarm alone for 24 to 72 hours and there is a 90% chance they will go away on their own. After the swarm leaves keep an eye on and around your property to make sure they didn't decide to move in somewhere on your property.
If they land on the structure of your home or are coming and going in an eave or into the stucco or siding etc. or there is visible honeycomb on any structure around your property then they do need to be removed Properly by Tennessee's Honey Bees or another professional bee removal company.
Otherwise, save yourself some money and save some bees at the same time. Now, why would I say all this? Here at Tennessee’s Honey Bees we are Beekeepers. Pest Control Companies are killing millions of Honey Bees unnecessarily every year and charging insane prices to do so. Don't be another victim to Unnecessary Pest Control and harmful chemicals. Pass on the message Not all bee swarms need to be killed. Now, if you have a swarm on your property and are concerned someone might antagonize the bees or that the bees might be a danger to the public or your just not comfortable with them being there then give us a call and we will talk you through your options to get your bee problem resolved.
If you find a swarm or colony, leave it alone and keep your family and pets away. Contact Tennessee’s honey Bees to remove the Honey Bees.
Things to do:
- Leave the Honey Bee swarm alone
- Call Tennessee’s Honey Bees (423) 519-7799, assist with the following information
- Provide your contact information
- Who owns the property and contact info (yours and/or theirs)
- Address of the property the Honey Bee swarm is on.
- Provide Location of the Honey Bees (Tree, barn, shed, wall, etc..)
- Description with approximate size of the swarm (beachball, football, basketball, softball, etc..)
- Any Pictures you can send for Identification of the swarm / location on the property
- Any other information that you think would be helpful to the person who will arrive
Things to NOT DO:
- DO Not call a Pest Control company to come spray the Honey Bees to kill them!
- Do not swat at or attempt to intimidate the Honey Bees into leaving, someone could get stung.
- Do not spray the Honey Bees with water, bug repellent or bug killer!
- Do not attempt to handle the Honey Bee Swarm, Unless you are experienced and have your own protective equipment.
