What to do if you have a swarm.

So, you went out today and found a swarm of bees on the tree in your yard. You’re worried because that looks like an awful lot of bees and you don’t want to get stung and you don’t want your children stung. That’s a reasonable response. So, what should you do?

DON’T PANIC! Swarming bees are just looking for a new home. Since they don’t have a home or honey to defend, they are not really in the mood for stinging, unless you decide to disturb them first!

DON’T get out the can of insecticide and spray them. Much of the food we eat depends on these little gals for pollination.

DO give us a call! There are lots of beekeepers who would LOVE to come take this swarm off your hands. Most will even do it at no cost to you.

Look below and you will find a list of direct phone numbers for those who collect swarms or call: 541-203-0117 and we’ll help find someone to help you out.  If they do structural removals (cutouts), it will say, otherwise they only do normal swarm removals like in the photo on this page.

What if you can’t find a beekeeper? Well, remember that your swarm is just a group of temporarily homeless bees. As soon as they find someplace to settle, they’ll leave. In the meantime, just leave them alone and maybe take a few minutes to marvel at these wonderful little creatures.

For Yellow Jackets & Hornets, see the information below the swarm list.

For the Mid-Willamette Valley

LEGEND: 
"Text OK" means you may contact them by text.

Go directly to: [Adair Village] [Albany] [Brownsville] [Corvallis] [Jefferson] [Lacomb] [Lebanon] [Millersburg] [Monroe] [Philomath] [Salem] [Scio] [Shedd] [Sweet Home] [Tangent] 
Adair Village
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Carter Ingle · 503-523-6851 · Text OK
Albany
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Everett Kaser · 541-974-2666 · Text OK
Adam Miller · 541-829-9197 · Text OK
Rena Brown · 541-255-9220 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Pete McMenamin · 541-990-1016 · Performs Cutouts · Text OK
Brownsville
Rena Brown · 541-255-9220 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Corvallis
Pete McMenamin · 541-990-1016 · Performs Cutouts · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Carter Ingle · 503-523-6851 · Text OK
Everett Kaser · 541-974-2666 · Text OK
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Adam Miller · 541-829-9197 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Jefferson
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Lacomb
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Rena Brown · 541-255-9220 · Text OK
Lebanon
Rena Brown · 541-255-9220 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Millersburg
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Pete McMenamin · 541-990-1016 · Performs Cutouts · Text OK
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Monroe
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Philomath
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Adam Miller · 541-829-9197 · Text OK
Salem
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Scio
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Shedd
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK
Sweet Home
Rena Brown · 541-255-9220 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Tangent
Tim Wydronek · 541-730-4849 · Text OK
Anthoney Kelly · 541-974-6023 · Text OK
Everett Kaser · 541-974-2666 · Text OK
Wesley Dickerman · 541-401-0241 · Text OK

In other parts of Oregon, check the Oregon State Beekeepers Association Swarm Call List.

In other parts of the United States, contact your state beekeeping association.

Yellow Jackets & Hornets

If you know for sure you have yellow jackets or hornets, please contact Dan Scollard at 541-753-6861.

This free service safely removes yellow jacket and hornet nests and their occupants from your property. Their venom is necessary in the manufacture of lifesaving allergy shots. Your call is important and appreciated as your nest has the potential to save someones life. Turn your nuisance into your neighbor’s medicine! For more information check out Oregonwasp.com.

If you would like to share some of your photographs of your bees or hives, email them to the web keeper and we’ll get them added. If you have a title and description for your photo, please include it.

Only send photographs YOU have taken, do not just send in photographs you found on the web that you like, because of copyright issues.  Email your photographs to tim@lbba.us

Improved Tools Guide for mite control

By Dewey Caron on Jan 08, 2017 06:06 pm

The Honey Bee Health Coalition has released a series of videos to help beekeepers promote colony health and combat costly and destructive Varroa mite infestations. The videos provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to monitor hives for Varroa and safely treat when levels get too high. The videos complement the Coalition’s wildly popular Tools for Varroa Management Guide: http://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/Varroa . Dewey Caron, WAS representative to the Coalition, is principle author of the Tools and co-wrote and directed the video scripts, filmed at Foothills apiary in Colton, OR

“The Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management Guide has provided beekeepers in the US and Canada with invaluable tools and techniques to confront destructive Varroa mite infestations,” said Mark Dykes, Apiary Inspectors of America. “These videos will show beekeeper real world application techniques to help correctly apply treatments.” Mark was on-camera in the video taping. Website to watch the videos: http://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/Varroa/#videos

The videos provide helpful visual aids and step-by-step directions on how beekeepers can monitor and control Varroa mites through an Integrated Pest Management strategy. Both the videos and Tools Guide cover a range of strategies and tools, including the uses of Oxalic acid, formic acid, essential oils, other synthetic miticides and non-chemical treatment options.
“Healthy bees support our world’s food supply and farmers everywhere. A single untreated colony can transmit Varroa mites to other nearby hives and threaten honey bee health across large geographic regions,” said Danielle Downey, Project Apis m, the second on-camera individual on the videos. “Beekeeping is becoming very popular, and often keeping the bees healthy is a mysterious learning curve. These important ‘how to’ videos bring the Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management Guide to life — and will amplify its impact in the United States, Canada, and around the globe.”

The Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management has given beekeepers the tools they need to measure Varroa mite infestations in their hives and select appropriate control methods. The guide, which has been downloaded more than 5,500 times since its release, is the newly released 5^th edition. The videos are embedded within the guide for easy download. There is also a new spreadsheet for easy record keeping of your varroa management included. Spreadsheet http://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/varroa/ can be separately downloaded.

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