Check out our Top bar hives for sale. They are an easy to manage; natural environment that supports the bees' natural systems - without using any toxic chemicals or antibiotics.
Learn about our
Beekeeping Classes, "Natural Beekeeping in
Top Bar Hives"
Need a speaker for
your event?
The Author of "The Thinking Beekeeper"
Christy Hemenway is available for booking as a
Teacher & Speaker on Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives
Online Payment Service
Swarm Collection
|
We Rescue Swarms - call Gold Star Honeybees at 207-449-1121. What is a swarm? A swarm is the method by which honeybees reproduce. It’s the process where one colony of bees -- becomes two colonies of bees! Bees don’t reproduce in the same way that say, dogs have puppies, or cats have kittens. It’s more like cell division - where the whole colony splits in half, and births another whole colony - complete with queen. In brief, here’s how it works: A colony grows very large and healthy, and begins to raise a new queen bee. At this point the old queen leaves the hive, taking roughly half of the bees with her.  The bees that depart in a swarm all cluster together with their queen in a large mass. Generally this looks like a big "ball" of bees hanging from a tree branch. While they are in this cluster, the bees are quite docile, but it is smart to contact a beekeeper at this time - who will be prepared to collect the colony and be able to provide them with a home. The bees that stay behind then hatch out the new queen and their life goes on as before in the original hive. We travel fairly extensively throughout Maine to collect swarms, and if we don’t come ourselves, we can refer you to another Maine beekeeper who can help. If you are located in another state, check out Who’s Who in North American Beekeeping. They have listings posted for each state as well as most of the Canadian provinces. Here are the questions we will ask you when you call: (click here to download this list as a .pdf file) 1) What does the swarm look like? If there is any sort of nest structure or material - gray and papery, or yellow/orange and sort of "crunchy” - it is not likely to be a swarm of honeybees. A swarm of honeybees will be a mass of nothing but bees - all clinging tightly to each other. You will be able to see the individual bees - they will not be going inside of any nest or nest material. 2) The name and phone number of someone at the location of the swarm. 3) What is the address of the property where the swarm is located? 4) How long have the bees been there? 5) What have the bees gathered on? A tree branch? A building? 6) How high up is the swarm? If we can get you to email us a picture, this really helps. Your cell phone is a great way to give us an idea of how long a ladder we need, or whether it is even safe to attempt the rescue. Call us first, then email the photo(s) to [email protected] or text them to 207-504-6738. Okay, we’re on our way to get the bees. What should you do in the meantime? Most importantly, do nothing to break up the swarm cluster. Please do not disturb the bees, or spray them with anything. (And we mean with anything at all - not with water, not with Raid, not with anything!) If there are people in the area, it is best to move them away from the area of the swarm. Relax - we will be there soon! Gold Star Honeybees - Swarm Collection - Call 207-449-1121
   |