MSBA can help if you have a honey bee swarm on your property, or have seen one elsewhere. Swarming is a part of bees’ natural reproductive cycle, in which the queen and a good portion of the worker population leave the hive to find a new home. They are relatively harmless, but can be an alarming sight.
Swarms should not be sprayed with water or disturbed in any other way. It is best to clear the area until a beekeeper arrives to do the removal. Please be sure to identify the insects before calling or filling out this form. We receive countless requests that turn out to be yellow jackets, especially in late summer/early fall. If you are not absolutely certain, please take a picture and email it to: swarm@mainebeekeepers.org
Beekeepers are not exterminators and do not remove hornet nests, bumble bees, wasps or other stinging insects.
Once confirmed, you can fill in the form below and someone from the team will get back to you.
If honey bees must be extracted from homes, buildings, and other structures, we can offer guidance or refer you to someone with that ability. This is generally a service where it will be necessary to hire a professional with carpentry skills.
Please note that exterminators will not kill honey bees and usually refer homeowners to a local beekeeper. Our beekeepers may be contacted in regards to removing honey bee swarms. These members beekeepers are all acting privately, as a service to the public, and are not endorsed by the MSBA.
Filling in the form below is the best way to get a prompt response.
Your other option is to call: 207-619-4233
Clearly and slowly answer the same questions that you see above on this webpage. Please do not call this number for anything except a swarm of honey bees. Please do not call this number if you have already called somebody else about the swarm.
The State of Maine also maintains a list of individual who are willing to capture swarms. It can be found on the Maine State Apiary Program website.