The Beekeepers Club Inc.

Bee Removal

When you are discovering a problem with honeybees you might want to consider our Bee Removal Service.

Before you do it might be helpful to know whether we are dealing with a swarm of bees or a nesting colony. For clarification see point 5 further below on this page.

When a swarm of bees arrives on your property, despite the thousands of bees buzzing around, it is no form of aggression or attack.

Swarming is part of the natural reproductive life cycle of honeybees. When a bee colony becomes too large it divides by swarming. Here in Victoria the swarming season is usually between September and December but on occasions colonies may swarm at other times. Warmer weather, combined with an abundance of nectar and pollen, stimulate the colony to increase in population. Swarms usually emerge from the colonies between 10am and 2pm on warm sunny days.

The nesting site of honeybees is usually a sheltered, darkened enclosure. This could be tree hollows or in structures such as attics, between the studs of house walls, garages or other buildings, within porch roofs, meter boxes, chimneys or in similar areas - and in rare circumstances in the open, on the branches of a tree or bush. Beekeepers keep their bee colonies in boxes, called hives.

To ensure that unwanted honeybees are not unnecessarily destroyed, members of The Beekeepers Club offer a Swarm Collection service, as well as the removal of bee nests where possible.

These bees are getting relocated and cultivated over weeks and month following the removal. For this to be successful, the removal of bee colonies can only be done from spring through to end of summer, providing those bee colonies with sufficient time to recover from such a stressful process and rebuild their nest before the winter restricts their activities.


1. Bee Swarm Collection
A swarm of honey bees will cluster temporarily at one location, often hanging off the branch of a tree or bush, while a few scout bees locate a new home. When a suitable home is found the swarm moves as a group to that new site. The existance of a swarm can take a few hours or several days.

If the swarm of bees is in an accessible location, then we can assist by collecting the swarm.

When you see a swarm arriving on your property:

• Don't panic - they are not on the attack.

• Keep children and pets inside the house until the flying bees have clustered onto a bush or another object.

• After the swarm has clustered and most of the bees have stopped flying, it is normally safe to be outside the house.

• Keep children and animals well away from the swarm.

• Arrange to have the swarm removed.

• Wear footwear to protect your feet in case bees have settled on the ground.

• Do not attempt to move the swarm by hosing it, throwing stones at it, smoking the bees or taking any action to make the swarm move. This action will only aggravate the bees and encourage them to sting in defence.

• Interfering with the swarm will make it more difficult for a beekeeper to deal with the bees.

For the Removal of a swarm several options are at hand.

• You can ring one of the beekeepers listed in the tables below, close to your area/suburb to save time and cost.

• You can contact your local council for advice. They might have a list of local beekeepers or pest controllers.

• You can ring "Bee Help Line" on 1902 241 059 (call cost $2.20 per minute.  A higher rate applies to mobile & public phones)

• You can ring "Pest Control" - we do not endorse this option for swarm collection as destruction of the bees might be the result.

• Alternatives are available and links are provided under point 3 on this page.

The Beekeepers Club Inc. has engaged two Swarm Coordinators matching available swarms with members of the club wanting a swarm.

Please respect the privacy of others and make phone calls only between 8:30am and 7:00pm

2. Bee Nest Removal

Bees nesting in and around the house are often not tolerated by the occupants of that building.

To ensure that feral, abandoned or unwanted nesting colonies of honeybees are not unnecessarily destroyed, members of The Beekeepers Club offer a Bee Removal service.

If the bees are nesting in an accessible location, we might be able to assist by removing them.

To remove a bee nest from a compost bin is fairly easy, although it can be quite an extensive job when the bees have been living there for some months or even years.

However, removing bees nesting in buildings can be very difficult and sometimes very costly.

Where there is no easy and economical method of removing the bees, it may be necessary to destroy them. In some situations the services of a Pest Control organisation might be required.

When bees have been using the same location for a while, their nest can be quite extensive and will need to be removed. Otherwise it won't take long and a new bee colony moves in, attracted by the scent of honey stored in the comb.

Please respect the privacy of others and make phone calls only between 8:30am and 7:00pm

3. Alternatives for the removal of European Honeybees in and around Melbourne

• Southside Beekeepers Club Inc. - covering the Melbourne South side and Mornington Peninsula

• Amazing Bees - covering Knox City Council area and surrounding suburbs

• PurePeninsulaHoney - offering a bee removal service from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne down to the tip of the Mornington Peninsula

• Upper Beaconsfield Apiaries - covering a radius of up to 60km from Upper Beaconsfield

• Golden Acres - covering the Melbourne Western suburbs

• Geelong Beekeepers Club - covering the Geelong area

4. Bee Removal in other areas of Australia

Honeybee Australis - covering all states in Australia

If you are in and around Canberra and want to have bees or swarms removed, go to bindaree.com.au

If you are on the Gold Coast and want to have bees or swarms removed, click here for details.

5. The difference between Swarm, Nest, Hive

We sometimes get reports like "a beehive hanging on a rose bush" or a "bee swarm in a possum box" - there seem to be confusion about the terms and we thought it might be worthwhile to clarify them.

Beekeepers who want to be on the lists above for swarm collection or bee nest removal,
or make changes to your details, please use this form: