Honey bee swarms sometimes turn up overnight. Yesterday your tree had bare branches. Today a cluster the size of a football hangs from one of them. What brought all those bees to the same spot, and what should you do while they are there?
Why do honey bee swarms gather on branches?
Swarming is how one honey bee colony becomes two. A queen leaves the original nest with a group of workers. Other workers and developing queens stay behind. The bees that leave often settle on a tree, shrub, or fence while scout bees search the neighborhood for a suitable nest.
Look closely at the photograph. The bees cling to the branch and to one another. The queen is somewhere inside the cluster. The shape you see tells you where the bees are resting, but it does not tell you where they will build their next nest.
How can you watch honey bee swarms safely?
Give the bees space. Keep children and pets away, especially near a doorway, playground, or busy path. Leave the branch still and avoid spraying the cluster. From a safe distance, note when you first saw it, how high it hangs, and roughly how large it is. A photo taken with your phone’s zoom can help a local beekeeper identify it.
If the cluster is in a busy spot, contact a local beekeeping association about swarm collection. Describe how someone could reach the site and whether the bees are still present. Availability varies. Cornell’s guide to honey bee swarms explains what a collector will want to know.
What if bees keep entering a wall?
Watch where the bees go. Honey bee swarms can move on once the scouts find a home. Bees repeatedly flying into the same crack or opening may already have a nest inside. Tell the beekeeper what you see. An established colony in a building needs a different kind of help from a cluster resting on a low branch.
What can families look for?
From a safe spot, notice the shape of the cluster and whether individual bees are coming and going. Later, check the same branch from a distance. Is the cluster still there? Use our bee education activities to explore what bees do once they find a home.