Swarm removal

We collect swarms of bees within a 50km radius of Civray (86400), France. This roughly covers an area from Angoulême to Poitiers and Niort to Chabanais, taking in much of départements 16 (Charente), 79 (Deux-Sèvres) and 86 (Vienne).

Bees are having a particularly tough time at the moment so please look after any that come to visit you. Here are a few points to consider before calling in a beekeeper:

Stay calm! Bees that are swarming are looking for a new home. They’ve filled themselves up with honey and are intent on taking their queen to her new abode. As long as you stay well away and don’t get in their way, no-one should get stung.

Bee swarm

Try to make sure that they are Honey bees. Several different varieties of hornets, wasps and bees are found in France but only Honey bees swarm. A swarm is the bees’ way of growing the colony and ensuring their survival – a large number of bees leave the existing hive with a queen and look for somewhere new to build a nest. Scouts will have been sent out previously to check for suitable sites such as chimneys or hollow trees. Once the swarm leaves the hive, they’ll often settle in a convenient spot such as a fence post or tree branch where they form the familiar dew drop.

Often active nests of other types of bees, wasps or hornets are mistaken for a swarm but if the swarm doesn’t settle as shown, then it is unlikely that it is Honey bees.

Honey bees come in many different colours from dark rusty brown to a light orange. But they are rarely bright yellow like wasps or hornets, nor furry bodied like bumble bees.

Honey bee

Once you have established that they are bees and if they are accessible (less than 2.5m off the ground with clear access), then ring your local beekeeper or beekeeping association. They will be happy to come and move the swarm for you.

If the swarm moves on before the beekeeper arrives, please let them know so they don’t make a wasted journey.

Please don’t try to kill the swarm – bees need all the help they can get at the moment.

If you have an existing nest, then it could be one of several types of bees, wasps or hornets. See if there is a dead insect near the nest that will help you identify the owners of the nest, or try to take a photo so you can identify the insects before calling out a beekeeper. Beekeepers are only interested in re-homing honey bees – unfortunately all other insects will require the help of a professional.

To find your nearest professional, see France Guêpes.

Common Wasps in France

French terminology

Hornet: Frelon

Wasp: Guêpe

Bee: Abeille

Swarm: Essaim

Nest: Nid

Hornet Photo: by PiccoloNamek / subject to Free_Documentation_License