Short answer: free live bee removal in the Greater Sacramento region is funded by donations. People who find bees don't get a bill for live removal, so the cost of doing it has to come from somewhere else.
The Bee Conservatory is a Sacramento, California nonprofit. This page explains how our free removal is paid for and what a gift can help cover, in plain terms.
Why Removal Is Free
When getting bees removed costs money, some people choose extermination and the colony dies. Taking the price away makes the live option easier to choose. Our guides on why we provide free bee removal and what bee removal can cost in Sacramento go into more detail.
Live bee removal is free. If a colony is inside a wall or other structure, we'll explain what's involved, including any repair or other costs, before any work starts. Call us and we'll tell you when we can get there, or report bees online.
How Gifts Are Used
Gifts are unrestricted unless you tell us otherwise, which means they go to whichever program needs them most that season. To designate a gift to rescue, habitat, or education, call us at (916) 404-4294.
These are examples of what gifts help cover. They are not promises that a specific gift pays for a specific outcome.
- $25, supplies for a swarm call: helps cover the fuel, protective gear, and hive boxes a volunteer beekeeper uses on a live swarm rescue.
- $50, native plants for a garden bed: helps buy California-native, pesticide-free flowering plants for a school or community pollinator bed.
- $100, a month of hive care: helps cover inspections, mite monitoring, and equipment for the colonies we have relocated.
- $250, a classroom program: helps fund a hands-on pollinator lesson for a Sacramento-area classroom, with take-home materials.
How Fees and Tax Questions Work
Donations run through Zeffy. Zeffy charges us no platform or card-processing fees. At checkout Zeffy asks you for an optional tip to Zeffy itself, which you can set to $0. It does not reduce your gift to us.
We describe ourselves as a 501(c)(3) public charity, and our EIN is 93-1556974. Our EIN did not appear in the IRS public listing when we last checked on 2026-10-16, so please ask us for our determination letter and talk to your tax adviser before claiming a deduction.
Check Us Before You Give
You should be able to ask any charity hard questions before you give, including this one. Our guide on how to choose a charity walks through what to check. To ask us anything directly, email info@thebeeconservatory.com or call (916) 404-4294.
Other Ways to Help
- Plant California natives. Our Sacramento pollinator garden bloom calendar and list of native plants Sacramento bees love are good places to start.
- Avoid neonicotinoids and other systemic insecticides near anything that blooms.
- When a neighbor finds a swarm or wall colony, tell them to call us before pest control.
- Ask about volunteering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bee removal really free in Sacramento?
Live bee removal is free. If a colony is inside a wall or other structure, we'll explain what's involved, including any repair or other costs, before any work starts.
How is free bee removal paid for?
By donations. Gifts are unrestricted unless you tell us otherwise, which means they go to whichever program needs them most that season. To designate a gift to rescue, habitat, or education, call us at (916) 404-4294.
What does a gift help cover?
As examples, $25 helps cover the fuel, protective gear, and hive boxes a volunteer beekeeper uses on a live swarm rescue. $50 helps buy California-native, pesticide-free flowering plants for a school or community pollinator bed. $100 helps cover inspections, mite monitoring, and equipment for the colonies we have relocated. $250 helps fund a hands-on pollinator lesson for a Sacramento-area classroom, with take-home materials.
Does the donation platform take a fee?
Zeffy charges us no platform or card-processing fees. At checkout Zeffy asks you for an optional tip to Zeffy itself, which you can set to $0. It does not reduce your gift to us.
Are donations to The Bee Conservatory tax-deductible?
We describe ourselves as a 501(c)(3) public charity, and our EIN is 93-1556974. Our EIN did not appear in the IRS public listing when we last checked on 2026-10-16, so please ask us for our determination letter and talk to your tax adviser before claiming a deduction.
If you want to support free bee removal in the Sacramento region, you can give once or monthly on our donation page.