2026 Officers

President: Ryan Henkel
President: Elect: Steve Pfeiffer
Treasurer: Kim Kasten
Secretary: Martha Dooley

So, you think you have a honeybee swarm…

Swarming is the process by which a new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees. Swarming is a honey bee colony’s natural means of reproduction. The swarm of bees will then congregate in an area and create a large ball of bees around their queen as scout bees search for a new place to take up residence. Once they find a suitable tree cavity, an abandoned hive, or a hollow space in the side of a house or other structure they start building a new hive in that space.

If you encounter a swarm please do not call an exterminator or spray them with pesticide. Honeybee swarms are a gift of nature and are simply looking for a new place to live. A free hanging swarm will most likely be gone in a day or two, but if they are in an area of concern or have taken up residence in a wall or other structure, you can contact us to be put in touch with our members that assist with swarm removals and removals of bee hives in structures. For assistance, send an email to rkbeekeepers@gmail.com and/or post a message on our Facebook Page: Racine Kenosha Beekeepers Association Page and one of our members can respond. Please include a photograph of the swarm, the town you live in, and contact information. Or, you can do an Internet web search for “Honey Bee Removal” to find someone in your area that specializes in their rescue and safe removal.