New honeybee colonies are formed by swarms consisting of a mature queen and hundreds of workers. If you have a swarm of honeybees on your property, they are a new colony that is searching for a nest site.

In the wild, they seek a hollow tree or natural rock cavity. City bees also find voids in houses, buildings, and other artificial cavities that are dark and dry to be an ideal spot to create a hive. Swarms on private property can be removed by live trapping.

If a swarm is in progress, you will see lots of bees flying and milling about over a 10-20 yard area – the air will appear thick with bees. If you watch carefully from a safe distance you will see the activity is centered around a cluster of bees on a branch (or sometimes a man-made object) above the ground. Eventually, the frenetic flying activity will slow down and the hanging cluster of bees will remain in place. This is a swarm – it can be collected by an experienced beekeeper and turned back into a productive honeybee colony.