See a swarm of bees?  Contact us!

Picture
If you live in the City of Richmond or the eastern counties near Richmond, Virginia and see a swarm of honeybees (usually a large cluster of bees hanging from a tree limb, fence, or other surface where they weren’t before), please contact the East Richmond Beekeepers Association by completing this short form.
​
​What is a swarm? 
When a honeybee colony becomes crowded, it naturally divides to form a new colony. The queen leaves with a group of worker bees to find a new home. While scout bees search for a suitable location, the bees gather together in a temporary cluster to protect the queen.  Swarming bees are typically focused on finding a new home and are generally not aggressive.  Please do not kill the bees.  Simply report the swarm through this form, and a local beekeeper will work to safely relocate them.

Swarm Catchers

ERBA members interested in helping capture reported swarms are encouraged to email us to join our swarm chaser distribution list.

When a swarm is reported, we'll forward the information to everyone on the list so swarm catchers can coordinate their response.

Members who successfully capture a swarm are welcome to keep it for their own apiary.  ERBA is also happy to help find a new home by matching the swarm with a member who has requested one.

Swarm Recipients

Want to receive a captured swarm this season? ERBA members can email us to be added to the recipient list for the current year.

Whenever a captured swarm is available, recipients will be selected at random from this list.