Swarms are an amazing natural phenomenon and nothing to be alarmed about provided you exercise common sense. There is much information online about swarms and collecting them which can be found in the links below.

There is an official system in place for the reporting of bee swarms setup by the BBKA (British Beekeeping Association) which can be found here Swarm removal | British Beekeepers Association (bbka.org.uk). This facility is used by local authorities such as the police, local councils, reputable pest control companies and other responsible bodies etc when they are informed about a swarm.

The attached map provides contact information about local Swarm Coordinators. They themselves are experienced beekeepers who know how to deal with swarms and who maintain a list of other local beekeepers who are willing, qualified, and sufficiently experienced to collect swarms safely. They will also be members of a local association and therefore the BBKA which provides them with a high level of public liability insurance should something go wrong.

The local association for this area is the HWBKA (High Weald Beekeepers’ Association) which you could contact directly via Reporting a Swarm - High Weald Beekeepers’ Association (hwbka.org.uk).

The swarm coordinators will also try to ensure a fair distribution of swarms for those on the list.

Be careful when using Facebook as you cannot necessarily ensure all the above points apply. It is not unheard of for people to use this channel to get bees ‘on the cheap’ and then sell them on for commercial gain.

After the early warmth of March and February swarming may be starting early this year