Moving a bee swarm on without killing it

The kindest way to deal with a honey bee swarm is also the easiest: let it go, or let a beekeeper take it. A swarm is a colony between homes, and most fly off within hours or a day or two. If it hangs around, or it is somewhere you can't wait, a collector can box the bees and settle them in a hive, often for free in Auckland. Sprays, smoke and home remedies don't help, and they can drive the bees into your walls. This page covers waiting, collection, what to avoid and how to make the house a worse choice next spring. It belongs with the main bee swarms guide.

Rehoming a swarm, step by step

Keep everyone clear, leave the bees alone and ring a collector. The Auckland Beekeepers Club arranges free collection through its volunteers, and Honey and Bees New Zealand lists collectors around the region. The collector boxes the bees with their queen and gives them a hive, so none are killed.

Step by step:

1. Make sure it is a swarm. A swarm is a hanging clump of bees out in the open. Bees trickling in and out through a hole in the house are an established colony, which is a different job.
2. Clear the area. Children and pets inside, nearby windows shut.
3. Photograph it from a distance. Most collectors ask for a picture.
4. Ring a collector and tell them where it is, how high, what it is on, how big it looks and how long it has been there.
5. Leave it be until they come. No spraying, hosing or poking.

Will a swarm leave by itself?

Usually. The cluster rests while scouts look for a new home, then the whole swarm takes off once they have chosen. The University of Georgia's bee programme says most go within about a day, and some stay several days. If it is in a harmless spot, waiting is a perfectly good plan.

The risk is the destination. A swarm that can't find a hollow tree may settle for a wall cavity, a roof space, a chimney or the gap under a floor. While you wait, watch it. If the clump shrinks while bees pour into a crack nearby, ring a collector at once. When comb goes up inside, you are into bees in walls and roofs territory.

Can I catch the swarm myself?

Beekeepers do it with a box, a sheet and a veil. If you don't keep bees, leave it to someone who does. You risk stings, the queen can get away and the swarm re-forms somewhere worse, and keeping bees in a hive means registering as a beekeeper first.

NZ Bee Health and Biosecurity handles registration through its HiveHub system, under the American foulbrood pest management plan. Every hive in New Zealand has to be registered and every beekeeper pays an annual levy, which is one more reason swarms usually end up with existing beekeepers.

Do natural repellents work?

Not on a swarm. A swarm leaves when its scouts find a home, not because of a smell. Peppermint, vinegar or cinnamon might put off the odd bee, but they won't move a cluster. Smoke and water can break the cluster up and stir the bees, which makes stings more likely.

Honey and Bees New Zealand specifically asks the public to leave swarms unsprayed. Swarming bees are calm unless provoked, so leaving them alone is both the gentlest option and the safest.

Mistakes to avoid

Don't spray it, hose it, throw things at it, light a fire or burn anything nearby, or try to shut it in. Don't try to shake it into a box unless you know what you are doing. And check it really is bees: honey bee swarms are regularly mistaken for wasps and sprayed.

Also skip:

• Mowing, hedge trimming or leaf blowing close by
• Standing right underneath for a photo
• Leaving a dog tied up nearby
• Throwing a sheet or bin over it, which traps bees and makes them defensive

How do I stop swarms settling on the house?

You can't stop wild colonies swarming, but you can make your house a poor choice for one. Before spring, seal gaps in cladding, eaves, soffits and vents and around pipes. Pay attention to anywhere bees have nested before, as the smell of old comb draws new swarms.

If the swarms come from a neighbour's hives, talk to them first. Auckland Council's Animal Management Bylaw expects urban beekeepers to take reasonable steps to stop their bees becoming a nuisance, including swarming. If talking doesn't work, Auckland Council will hear a complaint.

If the bees here don't match yours, the front page on bee removal around Auckland sets swarms, bumble nests and wall colonies side by side.