Bumblebees are valuable pollinators which are becoming rare and should be conserved.
We provide no service for the removal of bees.
A beekeeper may provide assistance for the removal honeybees only.
A helpful guide to distinguish between honeybees, bumblebees, other types of bee and wasps is available on the British Beekeepers’ Association website.
If you know a local beekeeper, please contact that person first as the swarm may have come from one of that person’s hives.
The Cambridgeshire Beekeepers Association (CBKA) also has a list of members willing to collect accessible swarms of honeybees from their own locality.
There is no obligation on CBKA to provide this service and it is entirely voluntary. Members may only be able to attend in the evenings or at weekends and ask for a contribution towards the cost of travel. The rectification of any damage caused by the collection of the bees is the responsibility of the person seeking assistance.
A swarm of honeybees numbers thousands of bees and forms a tight cluster hanging somewhere like on a tree, shrub or wall. The location of a swarm will determine whether it can be collected. Beekeepers cannot remove an established colony from within walls, roof, chimney or hollow trees.
Swarms often move on to a permanent nest site after only a few hours, so please check from time to time that a beekeeper is still required.