Before contacting one of our beekeepers below, please check the following:
Are the bees accessible?
Beekeepers are neither equipped nor insured to remove bees from roofs, chimneys or other cavities in buildings. If you have bees in such a location you will need the help of a specialist company such as BeeGone who try to ensure the bees are humanely removed and re-hived.
Beekeepers are neither equipped nor insured to remove bees from roofs, chimneys or other cavities in buildings. If you have bees in such a location you will need the help of a specialist company such as BeeGone who try to ensure the bees are humanely removed and re-hived.
Are they honey bees?
Look at the photos below and decide what sort of 'bees' you have. Beekeepers will only remove honey bees.
Look at the photos below and decide what sort of 'bees' you have. Beekeepers will only remove honey bees.
Bumblebees?
If they are somewhat round and clearly furry, they are bumblebees. The bumblebee conservation trust provide information on nests. |
Wasps?
If they are not furry and have very distinctive black and yellow banded stripes, they are most likely to be wasps. Call your local council or pest-controller for help. |
Honey bees?
If they are neither of these, but about the same size as a wasp, but do not have very distinctive stripes, they are probably honey bees. |
This is what a swarm of honey bees looks like:
A swarm of honey bees is very distinctive - you are likely to see thousands of bees swirling quite dramatically across the sky and finally settling around a cluster of bees on a branch or man-made object some way off the ground. After an hour or less, the flying activity will more-or-less cease and the hanging cluster of bees will remain in place. Often this cluster will look like a rugby ball.
This is a swarm and eventually, if left to itself, this cluster will fly off to a new home, usually within 24 hours. However, such a new colony is unlikely to survive in the wild so needs a beekeeper's help.
If you do have a swarm of honey bees, and they are easily accessible, then call your nearest beekeeper on the list of swarm collectors below.
Beekeepers will not remove bumblebees or wasps.
This is a swarm and eventually, if left to itself, this cluster will fly off to a new home, usually within 24 hours. However, such a new colony is unlikely to survive in the wild so needs a beekeeper's help.
If you do have a swarm of honey bees, and they are easily accessible, then call your nearest beekeeper on the list of swarm collectors below.
Beekeepers will not remove bumblebees or wasps.
Who is my nearest swarm collector?
Because swarms don't stay in one place for long, beekeepers are more likely to collect nearby swarms than those miles away, so try and contact your nearest swarm collector on the list below:
Because swarms don't stay in one place for long, beekeepers are more likely to collect nearby swarms than those miles away, so try and contact your nearest swarm collector on the list below:
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SL1, SL2 & SL3 - Slough, Langley, Datchet
Alpesh - 07791330436 Chris - 01753 729345 / 07851 729345 Chris S - 01753 523014 / 07785 363700 Eddie - 07843 211123 Anton - 07868 783563 SL4 - Windsor, Eton, Dorney, Old Windsor Don - 01753 831939 Stephen - 01753 861037 / 07733 616146 Wisdom - 07962 144901 Anton - 07868 783563 Eddie - 07843 211123 Vishal - 07877592306 SL5 - Ascot, Sunninghill, Sunningdale Glynis - 01344 874645 Peter - 01344 621827 / 07855 515512 Anton - 07868 783563 |
SL6 - Maidenhead, Cookham, Holyport, Taplow
Nicola - 01628 638 221 / 07775 580476 Ro - 07799 624428 Ken - 07767151528 Joss - 07970 675363 Anton - 07868 783563 Jo - 01628 821179 Eddie - 07843 211123 Paul - 07798 711799 TW18, TW19 & TW20 - Wraysbury, Egham, Staines nn |
