The green pins on the map have names and phone numbers of CCBKA members willing to collect swarms of honey bees.
To view the details, click on a green pin.
Important
- Depending on the location of the swarm it may be difficult and time consuming to remove them. Please check with the individual beekeeper and provide as much detail as possible to confirm if a cost will be involved.
- Immediate action is required if you do see a swarm settle as the honey bees could move to a different site at any time.
Click County Cork Beekeepers Association to view the details on a larger map.
Swarming FAQS
When Does Swarming Occur?
Honeybees swarm typically from May to July in Ireland. But as beekeepers will tell you, there’s nothing typical with bees so you may see them at other times.
Are They Definitely Honey Bees?
Check that they are definitely honey bees before you contact one of the bee keepers listed above as it could just be a nest of wasps or bumble bees.
Honey Bee Swarm
The following sections provides an overview of typical swarming behaviour in bees to help you with your identification.
When honey bees swarm they first leave the colony in what looks like an uncontrolled mass of flying bees.
Honeybees swarming
They can settle initially in a cluster on trees, roof hangings.
Swarm settled
or the oddest of places.
They can stay here for a short time or even overnight until their scouts have found their new home, which is likely to be somewhere enclosed. They will move en-masse to this new location.
Bumblebee Swarms
If they are bumblebees leave them alone if possible. Bumblebees are an important pollinator and rarely sting. Bumblebees are under threat of extinction. Numbers will be low (compared to honey bees) and they will die off during the autumn when only the queen will hibernate for the following winter.
Ireland has over 101 native bees species. For information and images etc a great site is the National Biodiversity Datacentre.
Wasp Swarms
If they are wasps, call pest control. They also die off after autumn. Wasp colonies can nest in holes in the ground or create distinctive ball type structures (pulped wood).
Wasp nest