Report a Honeybee Swarm | East Jefferson County

Swarms Come in All Sizes and Shapes

We Do Not Respond to Yellow Jackets, Hornets, or Wasps.

What To Do If You See a Swarm

  1. First of all, don’t panic! Swarming honeybees are usually calm and gentle when they swarm. 
  2. Keep children and pets inside the house until the flying bees have clustered onto a bush or another object.
  3. After the swarm has clustered and most of the bees have stopped flying, it is usually safe to be outside the house.
  4. Keep children and animals well away from the swarm.
  5. Don’t spray the bees with anything, pesticide, not even water.
  6. Don’t throw anything at them to “chase them away.”
  7. Interfering with the swarm will make it more difficult for the beekeeper to deal with the bees.
  8. If the swarm you see is in East Jefferson County, Wa, use the contact information below to report it.

Call 360-390-5118

or email

swarm@ejbees.com – Subject: Swarm

The phone may ring several times. If the coordinator does not answer right away, leave your name, a telephone number, and the swarm’s location. The coordinator may not answer because he is a volunteer not at a desk, but he will call you back.

We rescue swarms only from the East Jefferson County, WA area.

If you send an email, use the subject line: Swarm. Try to include a photograph.

This is all volunteer work by members of the East Jefferson (County, WA) Beekeepers Association, a service to the community. There is no fee, no reimbursement for expenses. The honeybee swarm responders use their own transportation and equipment. Swarms become the property of EJBA and are given to the members. EJBA provides a public service and accepts no liability for the purpose of collecting honeybees. We do not remove hornets, wasps, or yellow jackets.

Help Your Swarm Coordinator

Please be prepared to answer these questions.

  1. Where is the swarm located? (your place, neighbors, etc.)
  2. Can you see the swarm? Describe it to me. Is it a dense cloud of bees flying, or is it a cluster that has landed? 
  3. Have the bees landed? How big is the cluster? Select a size?
    • baseball
    • football
    • basketball
    • exercise ball
  4. Where is it located?
    • on a tree or bush
    • on an outdoor item
    • inside a tree or log
    • inside a structure
    • other
  5. How high up are the bees?
    • less than 5 feet
    • between 5-10 feet
    • between 10-15 feet
    • over 15 feet
  6. how long have the bees been in that location
    • less than 1 hour
    • between 1-3 hours
    • between 3-8 hours
    • approx 1 day
    • don’t know
  7. Can you safely take a picture?
  8. Please provide your telephone number and email?

SWARM RESPONDER’S EQUIPMENT LIST

  • Have the following equipment ready to go:
    • a vehicle that can transport a bee swarm
    • bee gear: suit, veil, gloves
    • heavy cardboard box:  2’ x 2’ x 2’ or deeper
    • duct tape to seal the box
    • pruning shears and hand saw (or garden saw)
    • smoker
    • a white sheet to lay on the ground
    • EJBees business card or contact card
    • swarm placement will indicate whether and what type of a ladder may be needed
    • list of recipients with email and phone numbers who want swarms