Honey Bee Swarm Catchers List ( bee "rescuers")
See the LIST Below
Bees or Wasps? --check THIS PAGE first

Honey Bee Swarms

Generally a bee colony will send out a queen and bees to find a new home. This is their way of creating a new colony.

The bees will alight on a branch or other place for only a few hours or days. They then leave to a more sheltered permanent place such as a hollow tree, abandoned building, house soffit, and so on.

Paper Wasp Nest

Paper wasps form grayish papery nests, that start as small as a golf ball and can grow into very large nests, hanging from a branch, or under house eaves. In the winter they all die, except for the queen, which overwinters in mulch or the ground, and starts all over again in the spring.
* Please consult your local pest control company on how to deal with wasps.

Ground bees or WASPS

1)  If you have bees coming from the ground, they are not honey bees, as they only nest above ground.
In the spring, native bees will have numerous pencil width holes in the ground. These are fairly harmless. Please see this page (link) to learn more about them.

2) In the mid to late summer and fall, wasps have begun large colonies- see above photo. They have bright yellow on their bodies, which honey bees do not have.
* Please consult your local pest control company on how to deal with wasps.

2025 Swarm List – RochesterBeekeepers.com
 
For removal of honey bees inside a BUILDING ONLY:
Rochester 50 miles, 585-260-6860, Doug Streeter,  trap-outs, cut-outs
within 75 mile radius of Rochester,  585-404-5366, Taylor Hines, cut-outs
Rochester, west side. Greece, Gates, Spencerport, Chili,  cut-outs & trap-outs. 585-354-1186, John Miller
Monroe and adjacent counties for Cutouts, 585-209-0308, Evan Brent

For removal of honey bee swarms (see photo above):

Area of coverage willing to travel,   Phone number ,    Name

Churchville, Chili, Bergen, Rochester area, 585-489-9321, Tarik Ozkaynak

Rush, Honeoye Falls, Henrietta, Lima, Avon ; up to 8', 585 764-7570, Audrey Seibert

Mendon, Honeoye falls, Pittsford, Henrietta, 585-410-5795, Bud Langley

Pittsford, Mendon, 585-509-2129, Rod Hughes

Penfield Webster area, up to 10', 207-272-8725, Susan Newton

western Monroe and eastern Orleans counties, up to 10', 239-292-3550, Scott Martin

within a 75 mile radius of Rochester., 585-260-6860, Doug Streeter

Gates/Chili/Scottsville/Henrietta for Swarms; Monroe and adjacent counties for Cutouts, 585 209 0308, Evan Brent

Scottsville, Henrietta, Churchville, Rush, Lima, Caledonia, Avon: up to 8 feet high, 585-754-2764, Cat Ashworth

Rochester, west side. Greece, Gates, Spencerport, Chili, <10' High. cut-outs & trap-outs., 585-354-1186, John Miller

Rush, Henrietta, (585) 478-4174, Dean Sherwood

10 mile radius from Pittsford, 585-217-1132, David Mesmer

Avon, Geneseo, Caledonia, Scottsville, Rush, Lima, Conesus, Honeoye; up to 12" high, 585-330-1568, Bryan Glotzbach

30 mile radius from LeRoy, 585-233-2126, Don Seames

Brockport, Hilton, Chili, Bergen, Spencerport, Greece, Churchville, 585-967-9189, Robert Drewiecki

Penfield, Fairport, Victor up to 6', 585-267-6618, Deb Steere

Monroe & Livingston County, 585-694-9127, Renae Rolland

Pittsford, Mendon & Victor, 585-451-6806, Sherwin Damdar

Eastern Monroe, Northeast Wayne County, Brighton, up to 6" high, 585-820-6619, Pat Bono

Chili, Gates, Rochester, Webster, less than 6', 585.245.1563, Mary Randall


A youtube video taken by a homeowner with a bee swarm outside his front door!

Bee swarm season is upon us. Beekeepers are desperately seeking honey bees to replace bees that may have died during the last cold Winter. VOLUNTEER beekeepers are prepared to collect or remove swarms
FREE OF CHARGE.
  • 1) If you see a bee swarm, contact a beekeeper immediately (LIST BELOW), either through the Rochester Beekeepers 585-820-6619 there are lists of beekeepers on their "swarm list", as does the
  • Monroe County Master Gardener Helpline 585-753-2550
  •  2) Do not spray with pesticides or water, as this may kill the Queen and other bees.
  •  3) A fresh bee swarm usually will not sting as they are concerned with moving to a new home.
  •  4) If possible, please tell the beekeeper:
  •                                                                                     a) how high the swarm is, what is it on?
  •                                                                                     b) How long has it been there?
  •                                                                                     c) How big is it? basketball size, watermelon size?
  •                                                                                      d) Have you called other beekeepers?
  •  5) Once you have called a beekeeper to capture the swarm, please notify them immediately if the swarm has left.        

  •    NOTE: Those volunteering to assist the general public in the capture of honey bee swarms are responsible for all activities related to any capture and collection, including any communications with the general public that may be involved. "Rochester Beekeepers" assumes no responsibility related to the capture and collection activity.