Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association

Post Box 98
Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0098

Last modified
2008 FEB 29 07:01:07 GMT

Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association 2009 Swarm List

Note to beekeepers: If you are going on a swarm call, consider referring to the Swarm Apprentice List and mentor another beekeeper.

If you have sighted a swarm of honey bees, or have bees in your house or other structure, please read the following information before rushing to call a beekeeper on this list:

DO NOT SPRAY THE BEES WITH ANYTHING. Definitley not insecticide, but do not even spray them with water. LEAVE THEM ALONE. If you interfere with them, don't bother to call a beekeeper. Various beekeepers who might otherwise not charge a fee for removing a swarm may charge a trip fee for driving out to discover that the colony has been sprayed.

Ensure you are dealing with honey bees and not some other insect. A surprising number of people classify wasps and yellowjackets as bees because of their yellow colouration. If you see the insects coming in and out of either a (generally hardened) mud nest or a grey papery nest, they are not honey bees. Many summer and fall "swarms" are actually these insects and not honey bees. In general, Beekeepers do not deal with other insects - only honey bees, which are a beneficial creature. Please do not ask a beekeeper to deal with your wasp or yellowjacket problem - unless specifically licensed for pest control, a beekeeper cannot legally address pests for you - you need to contact a suitably licensed pest control operation for that.
Some information on different insects often confused for honey bees:

	Bumble Bees are beneficial insects. They do not live in colonies of large numbers, so you won't encounter a cluster of many of them at time. They are significantly larger than honey bees, are black and fuzzy, with one or two yellow bands.
	Carpenter Bees are considered a pest - they bore approx 1/2" diameter holes into wood (such as decks and siding), and live inside these holes. Like bumblebees, they do not live in large numbers. They appear like a hairless version of a bumblebee, without yellow bands.
	Paper Wasps, sometimes called "Umbrella Wasps" live in paper nests, with the openings of the cells facing downwards. They rarely have cause to sting people, and are considered a beneficial insect - among other things, they eat spiders. Mud Dauber Wasps look similar, but live in mud cakes often found in rafters of outbuildings and on the eves of houses. Click on the image for an enlargement.
	Yellow Jackets often live in the ground. These are the pests that come around when you're eating outdoors, or which are found around open trashbins. Their stings can be especially nasty because of bacteriological infection as a result of their scavenging nature.
NO PHOTO	Hornets appear similar to large yellow jackets, can be very onery, and live in large, usually greyish paper nests, which are unfortunatley often typified as beehives in popular children's publications such as Winnie the Pooh. Do not interfere with their nests - seek professional removal.

Note the address (preferrably with a nearby cross street). If you have a Thomas Guide mapbook, having the page and grid id for your location can help many people find you faster.
Note the location of the bees. Are they in a tree, on a fence or structure; how far off of the ground? Are there any hazards the beekeeper should be aware of (near a utility line, above a thorny plant, soft soil, steep incline, etc)
How large is the cluster of bees. Use terms that are readily grasped, such as "softball", "grapefruit", "basketball". A very small cluster of bees may be stragglers from a passed swarm.
How long have the bees been there? Did you see them yesterday and only just now remember to call someone? Did you see them swarm and land, or did you just happen to notice them while passing through the yard? The amount of time a swarm has been landed greatly affects the ability of a beekeeper to catch the swarm before they move on, but also affects how aggressive the bees might become - a swarm which has been lingering for a day will be getting restless.
If they're not on your property, but in a neighbour's yard, please provide contact details for that neighbour - we can't enter someone elses' property without permission, and if they're not home when the beekeeper arrives, it's a wasted trip. Ideally, the party with the bees in their yard should contact the beekeeper.
If you're greeted by an answering machine when calling a beekeeper, consider contacting another beekeeper on the list -- time is of the essence with swarms. If you choose to leave a message, please be sure to leave contact information. If you've called more than one beekeeper, please advise the other beekeepers of this.
If it is in a yard, please provide information on accessability (how close can a vehicle be brought, how steep is the terrain?).
If the swarm is high off the ground, if you (or a helpful neighbour) have a reliable ladder which can be used by the beekeeper, please make the beekeeper aware of this - it's a lot easier to make use of a ladder onsite than to pack and bring ones own.
If you already have digital photos of the swarm or structurally inhabiting colony (and the surrounding area), please advise the beekeeper of this - if they can make use of them and have email, the pictures may help them to evaluate your situation before making a trip to your location. While honey bee swarms are generally docile, you should avoid putting yourself at potential risk to take photographs or get a closer look at the bees beyond basic identification.
Not all beekeepers perform structural extractions - if the bees are inside a wall or attic (versus hanging on a plant in the yard), this is not a "swarm", but rather an established colony of bees. In this case, you need to contact a beekeeper who indicates that they handle structural extractions.
Some beekeepers provide the swarm capturing service for free, others charge a nominal fee - be clear on the cost of the job before engaging someone's services.

The Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association (SCBA) publishes and distributes this swarm contact list as a service to the public. We are neither an oversight or certification organization for beekeepers. If you engage the services of anyone on the list, you need to be aware that you are engaging the services of that beekeeper as an individual - you are not hiring them as an agent of the SCBA. Problems are rare, but if you should have one, it is a matter between you and the individual that you engaged to handle your bee situation.

If you would like more information about the process a beekeeper uses to capture a swarm, you can read about it here.

The swarm list is divided into multiple geographic zones. If you're a service agency which routinely receives calls from the public about bee swarms, please click on the appropriate link below for your service area and then bookmark this page (or drag a shortcut to your desktop), so that the results for your area will be displayed when you return to refer callers. If you serve the entire county, just bookmark here. Thank you for helping us serve the community.