London honey bee removal and relocation service
Swarmcatcher are the UK honey bee colony removal specialists we provide an ethical eco-friendly bee removal and relocation service across the UK.
London’s live honey bee removal service
Swarmcatcher provide a London honey bee nest removal service in and around London and outlying counties & towns.
SwarmCatcher is not a franchise business or a call centre, we are a family run, environmentally responsible business that specialises in one thing only – the removal of honey bees from buildings and places they should not be.
Our London honey bee removal & relocation service is used by property owners and businesses from all over London & surrounding areas.
We don’t have a bee apiary in London itself but regularly carry out honey bee removals through out the year in and around London.
We specialise in live honey bee nest removal from anywhere within a building that honey bees should not be.
We are not a call centre advertising live bee removals dependent upon their location and possible danger, that on arrival simply poison the honey bee nest – that is not our style.
We are yet to come across a situation that we could not remove a honey bee colony from within a structure.
Our honey bee relocation Specialist is waiting for you!
Swarmcatcher are the London (and outlying counties) honey bee removal specialists that provide an ethical eco-friendly bee removal and relocation service across London and all its suburbs.
Whether you have a honey bee nest in your roof space, a honey bee colony in your chimney, or a nest of honey bees in your cavity wall SwarmCatcher are the London honey bee removal specialists to contact.
This is best done using our contact form.
We provide free advice on how best to remove them alive, without poison, for their relocation to an apiary far far away from London and in the countryside where they really ought to be.
Honey bee swarms – London
If you have a honey bee swarm then we suggest looking up your local swarm collector and contacting them ASAP to arrange for the removal of the swarm.
We are not the people you need to contact, we are the next stage, contact us if the bees have entered and occupied your property, swarm collectors do not have the skill set or knowledge required for this situation.
Why do I have bees in my property?
For the last 15 years or more there has been a huge increase in the number of people keeping honey bee colonies within the London area.
According to a report “The London Bee Situation” by the LBKA the number of registered honey bee colonies more than doubled (212%) between 2011 and 2019 (an 8 year period).
However this figure does not include the number of unregistered colonies or all the feral honey bee colonies in the London area, and I would imagine that the unregistered number increased at a far greater rate than the registered number of bee hives.
Nor does it take into account the large increase in the numbers of people new to beekeeping that bought bee colonies to keep during the covid period.
Unfortunately with the increase in hive numbers there will be an inevitable increase in swarm numbers even from hives kept by experienced bee keepers or those that are being mentored by experienced beekeepers.
Combine that with the increase in the number of unregistered bee hives and the increase in the number of people acquiring bee hives during the covid period by people that didn’t really understand the time one needs to commit to keeping hives and an increase in swarms is inevitable.
Our page Why honey bees like chimneys explains why chimneys are such an attraction to honey bee swarms, especially in London where the removal of their preferred habitat has taken place to extreme. In a similar fashion to that of chimneys dormer roofs, flat roofs, soffits and wall cavities all have similarly good reasons for their attractiveness to bee swarms
How do I get rid of honey bees nest London?
It does not matter what type of property the honey bees have nested in: Swarmcatcher have the skill set & required knowledge to be able to remove the honey bees nest. The above photo is a great way to show that we work on historical or modern buildings, similarly we work on residential, commercial and academic properties on a regular basis week in week out.
How to prevent honey bees from entering your living/working space
Because honey bees are drawn to light the most important thing is to block up any entrance points that allow bees to enter your space from their space, and to seal any cracks that may allow light into their space from your space.
So if the bees are located in a chimney flue then ideally you need to seal the bottom of the fireplace of using a dark material to prevent light from entering the space behind, and to seal all cracks that may allow light to enter their space.
The use of cardboard, heavy duty black pvc and masking tape is usually sufficient for this task.
A similar method is best used for all other situations.
Honey bee identification
The first and probably the most important thing is to correctly identify whether it is honey bees or something else that you have nesting within in your London property.
You can find some information about other insects that are commonly mistaken for honey bees by an untrained eye.
We provide a basic guide on this on our page Honey Bee Identification.
Honey bee removal can be a complicated task.
More often than not there is a lot more to the removal of a honey bee colony than most people realise, especially when they are located in the chimney or dormer roof space of a property in London.
A lot of the live honey bee nest removals that we carry out in the Greater London area and surrounding counties are of honey bees located in flat roofs of extensions and wall cavities, but by far the greatest number are honey bee nests found in chimneys. Often these chimneys need additional work which can be carried out post honey bee nest removal during the reinstatement stage.
Honey bee nests in the chimney structures of properties in London
When dealing with honey bee nests that are located within the chimneys of properties located within the London area there are many factors that need to be taken into account.
By providing your details using our contact form you can start a dialogue with us that will allow us to better assess the likely cost of a live honey bee removal from your chimney structure.
For more information about the removal of a honey bee colony from a London chimney structure please see our page Honey Bees In Chimney.
Live honey bee removal from Listed & Heritage properties within the London area
SwarmCatcher Ltd are used by several large national heritage property companies for the removal of live honey bee nests. This is because of our care and attention to the needs of the property combined with our years of experience of live honey bee removals, working alongside many other building specialists and experts.
You can find some further details of what this may include and how it benefits you in various pages of this site.
If you use our contact form and can provide the additional information requested we can discuss this with you in greater depth.
For more information about honey bee nests in listed and heritage properties please refer to our page Honey Bees in Buildings.
Honey bees in the wall cavities of London properties
Far to often we see large sections of wall being broken out to allow someone who clearly does not understand even the most basic aspects of building design and structural engineering trying to gain access to a bee colony located within a wall cavity.
Usually this is completely unnecessary. It also indicates that they have probably used inappropriate tools such as hammer drills, percussion tools, lump hammers and chisels, none of which are good for the surrounding pointing and masonry and may well lead to structural weakness overtime. Furthermore rarely do we see any attempt at them providing protection to prevent wax, honey and bee detritus falling further down the cavity.
In the image to the right I have outlined the location of the honey comb suspended in the wall between the facing brick and blockwork of an inaccessible lift shaft. The colony was approximately 1.4m in width by 1.2m in height and was completely removed by removing just 10 bricks rather than cutting out a whole section of 90 bricks: which would have been an absolutely ludicrous thing to do structurally, especially bearing in mind that just to the right is the corner of the building.
On completion of the removal the original bricks were reinstated.
Unfortunately removing bees from a wall cavity like this does not make for great & dramatic images.
For more information about honey bee nests in walls of either residential or commercial properties in London please see our page Honey Bees in Walls.
Live honey bee removal from flat roofs and dormer roofs of properties in London and surrounding areas
A honey bee colony that is entering a flat roof or dormer roof of a London based property is likely to be doing one of 3 things or some combination of the three. By you filling out our contact form and providing us with the additional information requested we can provide you with our recommendations and a good indication of costs.
For more information about honey bee nests in roofs of either residential or commercial properties in London please see our page Honey Bees in Roofs.
Beekeeping Associations within London
Below is a list of various Beekeeping Associations that may be able to assist if you have a newly arrived swarm that has not yet entered your property.
Croydon Beekeepers a division of Surrey Beekeepers Association
Epsom Beekeepers a division of Surrey Beekeepers Association
Weybridge Beekeepers a division of Surrey Beekeepers Association
Kingston Beekeepers Association a division of Surrey Beekeepers Association
Twickenham and Thames Valley Beekeepers’ Association
Wimbledon Beekeepers’ Association a division of Surrey Beekeepers Association
Ealing and District Beekeepers Association a member of the Federation of Middlesex Beekeepers’ Association
Pinner & Ruislip Beekeepers Association
North London Beekeepers covering Camden, Islington, Hackney, Haringey, and Westminster, parts of Brent
and south Barnet
Harrow Beekeeper’s Association
West Herts Beekeepers Association
Enfield and District Beekeepers’ Association
Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association A member of the Federation of Middlesex Beekeepers’ Associations
Epping Forest Beekeepers’ Association a division of the Essex Beekeepers’ Association
Dartford Beekeepers a branch of the Kent Beekeepers’ Association
Bromley Beekeepers a branch of the Kent Beekeepers Association
Orpington Branch of the Kent Beekeepers’ Association
Westerham Beekeepers a branch of the Kent Beekeepers Association
City of London honey bee nest removal
Yes amazing isn’t it – honey bee nests can even be found here.
If you have one then let us know so we can help.
City of Westminster, London honey bee nest removal
We cover honey bee removals in all parts of the City of Westminster, including John’s Wood, Maida Vale, Paddington, St. Marylebone, Bayswater, Soho, Mayfair, St. James, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Westminster, and Pimlico.
If you have a honey bee nest in one of the many towns in the City of London then do contact us.
London honey bee nest removal – all London boroughs covered
We can carry out a live honey bee removal from properties within any of the 32 London Boroughs, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Lambeth (Clapham and Streatham), Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Hackney (Stoke Newington and Shoreditch), Islington, Camden, Brent, Ealing (Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall), Hounslow (Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Hounslow and Feltham), Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Merton (Wimbledon and Mitcham), Sutton, Croydon, Bromley (Beckenham), Lewisham (Deptford), Greenwich (Woolwich), Bexley, Havering (Romford), Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge (Ilford ), Newham (West Ham and East Ham), Waltham Forest (Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford), Haringey, Enfield, Barnet (Finchley and Hendon), Harrow, Hillingdon,
and from any of the 6 surrounding counties (Berkshire, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire).
East London honey bee nest removal
E1 Whitechapel, Stepney, Mile End
E2 Bethnal Green, Shoreditch
E3 Bow, Bromley-by-Bow
E4 Chingford, Highams Park
E5 Clapton
E6 East Ham (also covers Beckton)
E7 Forest Gate, Upton Park
E8 Hackney, Dalston
E9 Hackney, Homerton (includes South Hackney)
E10 Leyton
E11 Leytonstone (also covers Wanstead)
E12 Manor Park
E13 Plaistow
E14 Poplar, Millwall (also covers Isle of Dogs)
E15 Stratford, West Ham
E16 Victoria Docks & North Woolwich (also covers Canning Town)
E17 Walthamstow
E18 Wanstead & South Woodford (most of Woodford itself is covered by postcode area IG8, outside the London postal districts)
East Central London honey bee nest removal
EC1 covers the Clerkenwell, Finsbury, Barbican area
EC2 covers the north eastern (Moorgate, Liverpool Street) area of The City
EC3 covers the south eastern (Monument, Aldgate, Fenchurch St, Tower Hill) area of The City
EC4 covers the western (Fleet Street, Temple, Blackfriars, St Paul’s) area of The City
North London honey bee nest removal
N1 covers the Islington, Barnsbury, Canonbury area
N2 East Finchley (includes eastern part of Hampstead Garden Suburb)
N3 Finchley Central, Finchley Church End (central Finchley)
N4 Finsbury Park, Manor House
N5 Highbury
N6 Highgate
N7 Holloway (includes Lower Holloway)
N8 Hornsey (also covers Crouch End)
N9 Lower Edmonton
N10 Muswell Hill
N11 New Southgate (also covers Friern Barnet)
N12 North Finchley, Woodside Park
N13 Palmers Green
N14 Southgate
N15 South Tottenham, Seven Sisters
N16 Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill
N17 Tottenham
N18 Upper Edmonton
N19 Upper Holloway, Archway, Tufnell Park
N20 Whetstone (also covers Totteridge)
N21 Winchmore Hill
N22 Wood Green, Alexandra Palace
North West London honey bee nest removal
NW1 covers the Camden Town, Regent’s Park, north Marylebone area
NW2 Cricklewood, Neasden (also covers Dollis Hill)
NW3 Hampstead, Swiss Cottage (also covers Belsize Park)
NW4 Hendon, Brent Cross
NW5 Kentish Town
NW6 Kilburn, Queens Park (also covers South & West Hampstead, Brondesbury Park)
NW7 Mill Hill
NW8 St John’s Wood
NW9 The Hyde (also covers Kingsbury & Colindale)
NW10 Willesden (also covers Harlesden & Kensal Green)
NW11 Golders Green (includes western part of Hampstead Garden Suburb). This was created out of NW4 following the rapid growth of the area after the arrival of the Underground in 1906.
South East London honey bee nest removal
SE1 covers the Waterloo, Bermondsey, Southwark (South Bank & The Borough) &
north Lambeth area
SE2 Abbey Wood (includes Thamesmead South)
SE3 Blackheath, Westcombe Park (also covers Kidbrooke)
SE4 Brockley, Crofton Park, Honor Oak Park
SE5 Camberwell
SE6 Catford, Hither Green (also covers Bellingham)
SE7 Charlton
SE8 Deptford
SE9 Eltham (also covers Mottingham)
SE10 Greenwich (Town)
SE11 Kennington (also covers Lambeth)
SE12 Lee (also covers Grove Park)
SE13 Lewisham (also covers Hither Green)
SE14 New Cross (also covers New Cross Gate)
SE15 Peckham (also covers Nunhead)
SE16 Rotherhithe (also covers South Bermonsey, Surrey Docks)
SE17 Walworth (also covers Elephant & Castle)
SE18 Woolwich (also covers Plumstead)
SE19 Crystal Palace, Norwood (central Norwood: Upper Norwood and Norwood
New Town)
SE20 Anerley (also covers Penge)
SE21 Dulwich (includes West Dulwich)
SE22 East Dulwich
SE23 Forest Hill
SE24 Herne Hill
SE25 South Norwood
SE26 Sydenham
SE27 West Norwood, Tulse Hill
SE28 Thamesmead (NB small parts of Thamesmead are in SE2, and in DA18 Dartford which is not in London Postal Districts)
South West London honey bee nest removal
SW1 covers the Westminster, Belgravia, Pimlico, Victoria area
SW2 Brixton (central and southern Brixton, includes Streatham Hill)
SW3 Chelsea, Brompton
SW4 Clapham
SW5 Earl’s Court
SW6 Fulham, Parson’s Green
SW7 South Kensington
SW8 South Lambeth (also covers Vauxhall, Nine Elms)
SW9 Stockwell (includes northern Brixton)
SW10 World’s End, West Brompton (NB Brompton is coverd by SW7, SW3 and SW1)
SW11 Battersea, Clapham Junction
SW12 Balham
SW13 Barnes, Castelnau
SW14 Mortlake (also covers East Sheen)
SW15 Putney (also covers Roehampton)
SW16 Streatham, Norbury
SW17 Tooting
SW18 Wandsworth (Town), Earlsfield
SW19 Wimbledon (also covers Merton (Town) and Collier’s Wood)
SW20 West Wimbledon (also covers South Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Cottenham Park)
West London honey bee nest removal
W1 covers the West End, including Mayfair, Soho and south Marylebone
W2 covers the Paddington, Bayswater, Hyde Park area
W3 Acton
W4 Chiswick
W5 Ealing
W6 Hammersmith
W7 Hanwell
W8 Kensington (central)
W9 Maida Hill (also covers Warwick Avenue, Maida Vale)
W10 North Kensington (also covers Ladbroke Grove)
W11 Notting Hill (also covers Holland Park)
W12 Shepherd’s Bush
W13 West Ealing
W14 West Kensington
West Central London honey bee nest removal
WC1 covers the Bloomsbury & Gray’s Inn area
WC2 covers the Holborn / Strand / Covent Garden area
Our honey bee relocation Specialist is waiting for you!
Swarmcatcher are the UK honey bee colony removal specialists that provide an ethical eco-friendly bee removal and relocation service across the UK.
Honey Bees in Chimney
We attend more chimney honey bee removals than we do of any other type of honey bee removal or cutout. We don’t need to dismantle the chimney, we rarely remove more than 4 individual bricks. When honey bees occupy a chimney space it is usually one of three scenarios or a combination of them.
Honey Bees in Roof
Generally speaking honey bees don’t colonise large roof spaces, when they are flying in beneath tiles they more often than not are colonising a cavity wall or an old dismantled chimney stack that is hidden beneath the tiles. But they love dormer windows and flat roofs
Honey Bees in Wall
We remove bees from walls and we can do it without taking them down or knocking huge holes into them. We remove the bees the wax & the honey. Rarely do we need to remove more than 8 bricks, which we remove whole so they go back as they were.
For further information on bee removal and relocation please use the contact form in the side bar or message button below, or CALL 01297 441272 to speak to someone local who knows all about it.
If you are looking for information on removing bees from a chimney check out our article ‘Honey bees in chimney‘, or if you repeatedly have bee swarms take up home in your chimney you may want to look at our page ‘Why honey bees like chimneys‘ & ‘Everything you need to consider when removing bees in a chimney‘ which is a fairly extensive overview.
For information on bee removal and relocation from roofs you may want to look at our page ‘Honey bees in roof‘, or if you have honey bees in a wall our page ‘Honey bees in wall‘ maybe of use.
For examples on removals of honey bees from these and other more unusual places check thru The Hive Blog and investigate our Tag cloud too.
Don’t forget a general overview on honey bee removals which can be found at ‘Live honey bee removal’.
