Glossary
The process of collecting a honey bee swarm from its temporary resting location and transferring it into a managed hive. Swarm capture provides free bees to beekeepers and removes swarms from locations where they may cause public concern.
When a honey bee colony swarms, the departing swarm (consisting of the old queen and roughly half the workers, typically 10,000 to 30,000 bees) leaves the hive and clusters temporarily on a nearby surface: a tree branch, a fence post, a car mirror, or the side of a building. This cluster may hang in place for a few hours to a few days while scout bees search for a permanent home. During this window, a beekeeper can capture the swarm and install it in a hive.
Most swarm captures are surprisingly simple. If the swarm is accessible (not 40 feet up a tree), the beekeeper holds or positions a box (a nuc box, a hive body, or even a sturdy cardboard box) beneath the cluster and gives the branch a firm shake. The cluster drops into the box in a lump. If the queen lands in the box, the remaining bees will march inside within minutes, drawn by her pheromone. The beekeeper then carries the box home and transfers the bees into a permanent hive.
Swarm bees are remarkably docile. They have no brood, no honey stores, and no home to defend, which eliminates the primary triggers for defensive behavior. A swarm cluster can typically be handled without gloves (though most beekeepers wisely wear them anyway). It is the closest thing to "petting" 20,000 bees that a person is ever likely to experience.
In Florida, swarm season runs primarily from February through May, peaking in March and April. This coincides with the spring buildup when colonies are at their strongest and most crowded. Beekeepers on local swarm call lists (maintained through beekeeping clubs, county agricultural offices, and pest control companies) may capture dozens of swarms per season, each one a free colony of locally adapted bees.
Swarm clusters are among the least defensive groupings of bees you can encounter. Without a home, brood, or honey to defend, they have no reason to sting. However, this docility is temporary. Once installed in a hive and actively building comb and raising brood, they become a normal colony with normal defensive behaviors.
Contact your local beekeeping association, county agricultural extension office, or pest control companies in your area. Many maintain lists of beekeepers willing to collect swarms for free. In Florida, the state beekeeping association and county clubs coordinate swarm removal during peak season.
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