Swarm Removal
Have you discovered a honeybee swarm? We can help for FREE! We will be on our toes to come remove it from the property and relocate it to a beekeeper’s hive. Wild swarms have a better chance of survival under a beekeeper’s care.
Free Honey bee swarm rescue and removal
The 2024 honey bee swarm season has begun!
During the active season, we remove honey bee swarms for free. We have a large team of experienced swarm catchers in Louisville, KY and the surrounding counties who will come out speedily to remove the swarm and hive them in their apiaries where they have a better chance of survival. The best option to get a swarm removed quickly is to contact us by clicking here! Your message will go directly to every member on the team. However, if you would prefer to text or call, you can reach us at (502) 410-3003. Pictures are extremely helpful!
KBA only handles honey bees. We service Louisville, Kentucky & its surrounding counties. See the pictures below to help you identify if they truly are honey bees. We receive many calls for other species of bees which we do not handle. If you are outside of Louisville and its surrounding counties, please look up your local bee club here and contact them for removal. If swarms are reported outside of our area, you may not receive a response as we have no one to handle those.
We can retrieve bees for free from trees, as well as man-made structures if they are on the OUTSIDE of it, example, fire hydrant, stop sign, car, fence, outdoor furniture, side of a building, etc. It gets more complex to remove when they have made a home inside of a structure.
If you have bees inside a structure (porch, siding, house, shed, garage), please see the information at the bottom of this page to have those removed with a charge. We do not remove honey bees that are located in the cavity of a standing tree, that is their natural environment and we urge you to leave them bee. If the tree has fallen or has been taken down by a tree company and easily accessible, we can retrieve those bees for free.
KBA Swarm Removal
Have you discovered a honeybee swarm? We can help! We will be on our toes to come remove it from the property and relocate it to a beekeeper’s hive. Wild swarms have a better chance of survival under a beekeeper’s care. Please look at the pictures below to determine whether it truly is a honey bee swarm and not some other type of bee.
Reproductive Swarm
First of all, don't panic. A swarm of honey bees hanging in a cluster will not hurt you. Swarms are not aggressive because they have no hive (comb with brood) to defend in this state. Swarms occur almost anywhere and are meeting & resting sites while the bees migrate to their new home. Swarms may stay on a swarming site for as little as 15 minutes or for several days or more. So when you see a swarm, keep in mind that they will not be on that site permanently. Swarms occur most often in mid to late Spring (April-June) and less frequent during the Summer. Please don't call an exterminator or a pest control service! They will only kill the bees! A KBA beekeeper will be more than happy to remove the swarm free of charge. Simply click the contact button.
Honey Bee Swarm
in a Cluster
kba swarm team phone number
The best option to get a swarm removed quickly is to message us at one of the contact buttons above as it goes directly to every member on the team. However, if you would prefer to text or call, you can reach us at (502) 410-3003. Pictures are extremely helpful!
Please remember we ONLY handle honey bees, we don’t consult on or remove any other type of bee and will never recommend extermination. We ONLY service areas of Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville, Kentucky) and the surrounding counties of Oldham, Bullitt, Spencer in Kentucky and Floyd and Clark in Indiana.
Swarm Removal at the Muhammed Ali Center
Bee, Wasp, & Hornet Identification Guide
KBA will only retrieve HONEY BEE swarms, we do not specialize in any other type of bee. Please use the identification guide to determine if you have honey bees.
By messaging our swarm team a message is sent to individual KBA club beekeepers who are experienced in honey bee removal. Please include your name, address, phone number, description and picture of insects. Response times are typically less than 30 minutes.
Honey Bee
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
-An Old English Ditty
bees removal from structures (Cut-outs & Trap-outs from homes & buildings)
If a swarm of bees has established a home of comb in an unwanted location, such as inside a tree on your property, inside a structure's chimney, or within the walls or eaves of your home, the bees can be removed in a process called trapping or cut-out removal. Please be advised that removing bees in this manner can involve disassembling parts of your home or building. Make sure you have a clear understanding with your beekeeper about the complete process and who will be responsible for what will happen from beginning to end of the entire project. A fee is usually paid to the beekeeper for this type of removal because of the amount of time and labor involved. We do not recommended spraying hives in buildings or homes with insecticide; not only are beneficial pollinators killed, but the honey, wax and dead bees will remain in the wall and attract all-kinds of bugs and rodents including mice, roaches, moths, beetles and yellow-jackets. The best course is to remove the hive in its entirety.
We currently do not provide services for bee removal from structures through the KBA, please refer to the listing by the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association (https://kybees.org/Buy-Local) for beekeepers who can remove hives from structures. Under the “Buy Local Products and Services” filter on this page, filter for “Bee Removal From A Structure” to see an extensive listing of providers, do not filter by county, some providers will travel for removal services. In Jefferson County, you can also contact Jeremy (502) 727-8836 or Drew (502) 727-3707 to assess your bees in structures situation.
KBA Swarm & Hive Removal Team disclaimer
The Kentuckiana Beekeepers Association (KBA) helps connect honey bee related requests with member beekeepers as a volunteer service to the community. The KBA makes no claims to the level of experience or skill that a member beekeeper may have in either swarm rescue or colony removal. It is the responsibility of the person requesting service, and the member beekeeper, to determine what service will be provided, if it is pro bono (free) or if the member beekeeper charges a fee. When using this service, please be aware the KBA is void of guarantees, claims, or legal responsibility as an organization.
