Swarm
Hornet Nest
Most swarms happen in the spring, most hornet nests are noticed in the fall
The pictures above represent fairly typical honey bee swarms and bald faced hornets nests.
Honeybee swarms
Swarms happen in the spring and early summer, as early as April and as late as July or August. Swarming is the natural way that bee colonies reproduce. When you see a big gang of bees like this it’s called a ‘bivouac’. The bees are basically resting and waiting for their scouts to find a new opening in a tree or wall for them to move into and start a new colony. There is usually a queen in the center of the ball of bees. Bees in this state are usually very calm. They usually don’t sting and can be handled easily. Beekeepers will usually come collect a swarm for free. Sometimes bees will swarm if their existing home is overrun by pests like varroa mites or small hive beetles. This kind of swarming is called absconding and usually happens in the fall, September or October although it can happen any time. Most swarms, whether reproductive or absconding do not survive on their own. It’s a great idea to call a beekeeper if you see one of these as their chances of survival are higher if they’re taken care of.
Hornets
Most of the calls that the Guild gets in the late summer and fall for bee hives are actually for bald faced hornet nests. The image on the right is a typical hornet nest in the winter. The leaves have fallen and the nest, which has been there all year, is revealed. Hornets do not stay in their nest over the winter, the queens find a warm spot under leaf litter to ride out the cold weather and the rest of the colony dies when cold weather comes. Usually if you see a nest like this all of the hornets are gone and they are completely harmless. They’re actually very interesting inside and taking one down and opening it up can be a great project for kids.
Hornets can be aggressive and will definitely sting if they’re alive and you get too close to their nest. If you have one on your house near a doorway or in a tree next to a sidewalk it can be a good idea to call a beekeeper or exterminator to have them removed. Most beekeepers and all exterminators will charge you for this service which generally involves killing the hornets.
Guild Beekeepers who catch swarms – some also remove hornets