If you have bees or wasps we may be able to assist you.

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City Bees offer a Swarm Collection service (10 mile radius of Plymouth). During April to June, we do this for free for private clients only.

For businesses and from July onward we charge £75, this contributes toward our costs and the buying a hive for the bees.

( upward of £250)

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However before you call us we would suggest  you ask yourself a couple of questions.

 

First - what type of bees do you have?

Please look closely at these pictures the top 2 are honey bee swarms the next are bumble bees which do not swarm. Bumble bees are usually larger than honey bees, varying in size between a 10p piece and a 5p piece and are hairy all over.

 

Second - have you been stung by these bees? If the answer is no then you probably won't be.

 

Third - If you are worried about  bees & young children or pets, are there steps you can take to prevent contact?

 

Can you place some canes and plastic netting (3" mesh) around the entrance, or temporarily fence off that bit of the garden.( do this when its dark as they stop flying at night).

Bumble bees are not aggressive if left alone, in fact they are not interested in people at all and very reluctant to sting. This doesn't mean they wont sting just unlikely.

 

How to identify Bumble Bees

Bumble Bees often build their homes  under ground, under decking, sheds, eves of roofs and in bird boxes, pieces of discarded carpet and cardboard boxes and number around 100  in each colony.

 

The queen is the biggest and first to start working in the spring.

She is quite large hairy and black with yellow, white, orange or red markings. They have  a lazy meandering flight, the frequency of bees leaving and entering the nest will be only 3 or 4 every minute possibly less.

 

Bumble bees all die out in the autumn the new new queen emerge in July and will find a place to to hibernate.

 

How to identify Honey Bees 

These number in their thousands and when they swarm they collect on a branch a wall or fence in a large ball or a cluster.

There will be many thousand bees in a colon,y they are small mostly brown or with yellow bands with a slimmer abdomen  which is not hairy.At the entrance to their nest there will be dozens of bees coming and going every one minute period on a warm day.

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If you have a wasp nest, we may be able to help.

If they haven't  caused you any problems, them best leave it alone.

If however you have young children or animals and are concerned for their safety give me a call. 07919896964.

 

Please note I do not collect swarms if they are over 20ft from the ground or nests of honey bees in attics, chimneys or wall cavities.