When most homeowners discover a bee swarm on their property, they call a pest control company. That's the obvious move — the company shows up, sprays, charges $150 to $500, and the bees die. Colonies that could have been relocated alive are lost this way.
We offer free live bee removal to interrupt that default. 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.
Why Do Most Homeowners Call Exterminators?
Cost is the primary reason people call exterminators instead of bee removal specialists. Bee-friendly removal has historically required either finding a beekeeper willing to do it for free as a favor, or paying a removal specialist — sometimes more than pest control.
The secondary issue is awareness. Most people don't know that free removal is an option. They don't know that a swarm is not aggressive. They don't know that a healthy colony of 15,000 to 30,000 bees has significant conservation value. They just see something alarming on their fence and call someone to deal with it. We can't fault them for that — but we can make the better option easier to access.
How Does Our Free Removal Program Work?
Free removal is funded 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.
- Call us and we'll tell you when we can get there.
- How a colony is collected depends on where it is and how established it is.
- Accessible swarms (hanging freely from a branch or structure) are typically collected in 20 to 30 minutes.
- Established wall colonies take more time and coordination. 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.
- The goal is to relocate the bees alive.
What Happens to Bees After They Are Removed?
A swarm collected in spring can be started in a nucleus colony, or "nuc," a small starter colony in a 5-frame box. Beekeepers then establish these in full-size hives, where a healthy spring swarm has the season to build population and winter stores.
What Is the Ripple Effect of Saving One Colony?
A single healthy honeybee colony forages over a roughly 3-mile radius. That reach covers gardens, fruit trees, and wildflowers across a neighborhood.
How Can You Support Free Bee Removal?
The free removal program runs on donations. As an example, $25 helps cover the fuel, protective gear, and hive boxes a volunteer beekeeper uses on a live swarm rescue. You can give here.
You can also help by spreading the word. When a neighbor mentions a bee problem, tell them to call us before calling pest control. That referral costs nothing and might save a colony that would otherwise be exterminated.
See a swarm? Call us and we'll tell you when we can get there. Want to help keep free removal going? You can donate on our donation page.