The Information on this Page is Offered as a Public Service

The BSSA Swarm Collector's list includes beekeepers that have knowledge and experience in collecting swarms and in some cases, undertaking more complex bee removals. 

The Swarm Collectors are not employed by the Society, nor do they pay a listing fee. 

Most Swarm Collectors charge a fee and are not paid by councils for bees on private property.

Sometimes beginners trying to gain experience and beekeepers who are desperate to build up their bee numbers will grab easy bees for free.  Otherwise expect at least a $100 fee for a basic ground level swarm in a bush.

Scroll down to see an interactive map you can zoom into to find your closest Swarm Collectors, or a table with the same list of people.

The service level of different collectors may vary wildly, so be sure to ask questions like:

• Will you wait for all the bees to go in the box and settle, or just grab 70% of the bees and run and leave the others to disperse/die?
• Can I watch and do you have spare safety clothes for me to wear?
• Will you be careful and not just scare them into the neighbour's yard or wall?
• Can you show me the queen if you find her and let me hold a drone if possible?
• Where will you take the bees? 

The BSSA expects Swarm Collectors to uphold professional standards. Failure to do so may result in their removal from the BSSA Swarm Collector's list. 

If you would like to provide feedback about your experience using the service of any of the swarm collectors listed on the BSSA website, please send an email to office@bees.org.au

Swarm Collector Contact Details & Service Areas

Beekeepers may charge a call-out fee, an hourly rate, or a flat rate for their time and travel costs, which is less than typically charged by a pest controller.  Charges should be negotiated before the work commences.  Some Collectors may ask you to sign a simple agreement that protects them from liability.

It is best to SMS the swarm collectors instead of phoning, because often they are busy chasing bees, and it helps them keep track of multiple swarms in a day.

Swarming bees are generally peaceful, if they are not disturbed. Move slowly around them and do not spray or swat at them.
Please take a photo as close as you are willing to get to them, because a picture can be better than a thousand words.

You do not need to let the bees settle for 48 hours. They are looking for a new home and if you leave them for 48 hours it stresses the homeless swarm and increases the risk of the bees moving into a cavity in or around your home.

A normal swarm collection usually involves at least 2 visits. The normal process is to relocate the swarm into a bee box and then leave the bee box near to where the swarm was. Then wait until dusk or after dark for all the bees to enter the box.  Then the bee box is taken away and looked after by the beekeeper.  It can then be a year of care for the bees to build the colony's strength to the point where there is excess honey to harvest.

Please SMS answers to the following questions, or be prepared to answer the following questions on the phone.  

1. Your first name and suburb.
   
2. How long have the bees been there? i.e. hours, days, months, years?
3. How big is the swarm?  i.e. 20 bees trying to get into wall vents, football sized bunch, basketball sized, 2 basketballs?
4. How high are they?  i.e. below 2m, 5m in a tree?
5. If a swarm, what are they attached to?  i.e. a wall, door, bush, tree, fence?
6. If an established hive, what are they going into? i.e. an old speaker, chair, cupboard, wall, bird box?
7. Is it your property, or public land or a neighbours?

The Google map below has details of all the Swarm Collectors base location.

You can click on the pin of the Swarm Collectors to obtain their name and mobile number.

If you have problems with the map on your device try clicking in the top right to get "Full Screen View".

Also included below the map is a table that has all the names, mobile numbers, and base suburb.

The table is sorted by suburb, from North to South.

An asterisk (*) by the surname indicates that the collector is able to do more difficult removals.