It's 3 p.m. on a Tuesday in May. Your phone rings. It's your neighbor, slightly panicked: "There are thousands of bees in my backyard. Like, a cloud of them. What do I do?"
You smile. Because you know exactly what this is. A swarm. And you, dear beekeeper, are about to get free bees.
Catching a swarm is one of the great joys of beekeeping. It requires minimal equipment, takes less than an hour, and results in a brand-new colony with zero cost. The bees are (usually) gentle, the process straightforward, and the satisfaction immense. If you've never caught a swarm, you're missing out.
Let's learn how.
Swarms are creatures of habit. After leaving the hive, they don't fly directly to their new home (they haven't found it yet). Instead, they land somewhere temporary — a staging area where scout bees can fan out, search for cavities, and report back via waggle dance.
Common landing spots:
The swarm cluster is usually tight — a grapefruit to basketball-sized mass of bees clinging to each other, with the queen somewhere in the middle. They may stay there for a few hours or a few days, depending on how quickly the scouts find a suitable home.
You don't need much:
Here's the classic method, refined over centuries:
Step 1: Assess the Situation
Is the swarm accessible? If it's 30 feet up in an oak tree, you may need to call a more experienced beekeeper (or let it go). If it's on a low branch, a fence, or a bush — you're in business.
Is it a honeybee swarm? (As opposed to wasps, hornets, or bumblebees?) Honeybee swarms are large, brownish-gold, and relatively calm. Wasps are aggressive and won't cluster the same way.
Step 2: Prepare Your Container
If using a cardboard box, cut or punch some ventilation holes in the sides. If using a bucket, same. Lay your white sheet on the ground directly beneath the swarm cluster.
Step 3: Mist Lightly
Spray the cluster with sugar water — just a few spritzes. Don't soak them. The goal is to calm them and make them slightly heavier (less likely to take flight).
Step 4: Shake or Brush Them In
Position your container directly beneath the swarm. Then, in one quick, firm motion, shake the branch or brush the bees into the container.
If on a branch: hold the box right under the cluster, grab the branch with your other hand, and give it one hard shake. The cluster should drop into the box in a clump. It's louder and more dramatic than you expect. Don't panic. Just shake.
If on a flat surface (fence post, wall): use a bee brush or a piece of cardboard to gently scoop/brush the bees into your container.
Step 5: Did You Get the Queen?
This is the critical question. If you got the queen, the rest of the bees will follow her into the box. If you missed her, the bees will leave the box and re-cluster around her (wherever she landed).
How do you know? Watch the entrance of your box. If bees are fanning (wings buzzing rapidly, abdomens raised), they're releasing Nasonov pheromone — the "come here!" signal. This means the queen is inside, and they're calling stragglers home.
If bees are leaving the box and heading back to the branch, you missed her. Shake again.
Step 6: Wait and Collect Stragglers
Once the queen is in the box, leave it on the white sheet near where the swarm was clustered. The remaining bees — those that fell off during the shake or were out flying — will march into the box over the next 20-30 minutes. You'll see a steady stream of bees walking across the sheet toward the box entrance. It's mesmerizing.
Step 7: Close It Up and Transport
Once most of the bees are in (you'll never get 100%), close the box. If using a cardboard box, tape the lid shut or fold the flaps closed. Make sure there's ventilation. If using a nuc box, close the entrance (stuff it with grass or a small piece of screen).
Transport the swarm to its new home — either a prepared hive or a temporary holding spot. Do this in the evening or early morning when temperatures are cool. Bees are calmer then.
Here's a beekeeper's secret: lemongrass oil (or pure lemon extract) smells remarkably similar to Nasonov pheromone, the "come here" scent bees use to signal home.
Place a few drops of lemongrass oil inside your swarm box before shaking the bees in. The scent attracts them and encourages them to stay. Some beekeepers swear by this. Others say it makes no difference. We say: costs $5, takes 10 seconds, why not?
Want to catch swarms without chasing phone calls? Set up a bait hive — a box designed to attract passing swarms.
What it is: An empty hive (or nuc box) placed in a location where swarms might land, baited with lemongrass oil and old drawn comb (the smell of used comb is irresistible to scouts).
Where to place it:
Success rate: Varies wildly. Some beekeepers catch multiple swarms per year. Others catch none. It's a numbers game. But the investment is low (an old box, some comb, and a dab of oil), and the payoff — free bees! — makes it worth trying.
Not all swarms are DIY-friendly. Call an experienced beekeeper (or a professional swarm removal service) if:
Many beekeeping clubs maintain "swarm lists" — volunteers who will come collect swarms for free. It's a win-win: the homeowner gets rid of the bees, and the beekeeper gets a new colony.
In most areas, a swarm on your property belongs to you. A swarm on someone else's property belongs to them (or is considered "wild" and fair game for anyone to collect with the landowner's permission).
Check local laws. Some municipalities restrict beekeeping or require permits. Make sure you're allowed to keep bees before you collect a swarm and install it in your yard.
Beyond the thrill and the cost savings, swarms have a few advantages:
"A swarm in May is worth a load of hay. And better still if caught that very day — for free bees, my friend, are the best bees of all."
— The Swarm Catcher's Handbook, 1898