Honey bees are interested in flowers, not you. So, if you’re having problems with individual or small groups of stinging insects, chances are, they’re not honey bees.


At the bottom of this page is a list of member beekeepers that can come to your location to collect a colony of honey bees, but before you call, please read the information below to determine if they are honey bees. If they appear to be something else, and pose a threat, then we suggest you contact an exterminator.

Typically, honey bees construct their hives high above the ground inside a cavity like a hollow tree. They do not build nests in the ground, so they’re probably not honey bees. Eastern Yellowjackets (Vespula maculifrons, a type of wasp) live in colonies in the ground and can be very aggressive. If you feel they pose a threat, then we suggest you contact an exterminator.

Honey bees do not build visible nests under roof overhangs. Paper wasps (Polistes dominula) build grey-colored nests with cells that appear to be honeycomb in shape, usually under roof overhangs. So if you can see the nest, they’re probably not honey bees. If you feel they pose a threat, then we suggest you contact an exterminator.

Not all insects with yellow and black stripes are honey bees. Both yellowjackets and paper wasps may have a black and yellow pattern on their bodies, similar to honey bees, but honey bees and bumblebees have a coating of hair, while yellowjackets and paper wasps are hairless. So if the insects aren’t fuzzy, they’re probably not honey bees.

This is probably a swarm of honey bees. Honey bees swarm to create new colonies, usually in the Spring. Do not panic. The swarms themselves are not inherently dangerous, the bees are not looking to attack, they’re just looking for a new home. See below about finding a beekeeper to help.

This could be a colony of honey bees. If the entrance to the hive is up high in a tree and is not a nuisance (honey bees are not interested in stinging you, they’re busy looking for flowers), then you could just leave them alone and enjoy the free pollination services they provide. But if the entrance is low or in the side of a house or building, then you will probably want them removed. See below about finding a beekeeper to help.

We have member beekeepers that can come to your location to collect a colony of honey bees. There may be a charge for mileage and time required, so try to find a beekeeper on the list below who is the closest to you. Also, please understand that beekeeping is a hobby or very small business on the side, so many beekeepers do have other jobs, which can make it difficult to return your call immediately. But they will get back to you as quickly as possible. Also, removing honey bees that have found a home inside your home, like in walls or in attics, can be very difficult because it may require some amount of demolition.


All of the names below can remove a swarm or a hive of bees outside of a home, tree, or structure.

Colonies inside the cavity of a structure need special attention. This type of removal is called a “Cutout” and is not a service that every beekeeper offers. Please see the “Service Offered” column of the list below to find beekeepers who can perform this type of removal.

NamePhoneEmailWebsiteService OfferedService AreaInsured
Fred Munzer631.243.3512munzer39@verizon.netSwarm RemovalSuffolk County
Rich Blohm516.658.5333beebiz44@gmail.comSwarm RemovalNassau County, Suffolk CountyYes
Mark Watenberg516.830.1571mark.watenberg@gmail.comSwarm RemovalNassau County, Queens County
Joe Magnoli516.724.4468Di3261@hotmail.comSwarm Removal, Cutout RemovalNassau County, Suffolk CountyYes
Nick Hoefly201.830.2337nick@astorapiaries.comastorapiaries.comSwarm RemovalNassau County, Queens County, Kings County, New York County, Bronx County, Richmond CountyYes
John Sperduto516.426.7000johnnys24honey@gmail.cominstagram.com/johnnys24honeySwarm Removal, Cutout RemovalNassau County
Walter Scott516.428.1063wscott380@gmail.comSwarm RemovalSuffolk CountyYes
Bill O’Hern631.938.6233OHoneyBeeFarm@gmail.comSwarm RemovalSuffolk County
Deborah Klughers631.377.1943Debklughers@optonline.netbonacbees.comSwarm Removal, Cutout Removal, Cutout Removal & RepairSuffolk CountyYes
Dale Williams631.475.8315nordstar@optonline.netsouthbayapiaries.comSwarm Removal, Cutout Removal, Cutout Removal & RepairSuffolk CountyYes
Wally Blohm917.770.2728beevenom1@gmail.comSwarm RemovalNassau County, Queens County, Kings County, Bronx CountyYes
Stacey Ries518.744.6653staceyaries@hotmail.comSwarm RemovalSuffolk County
John Hardecker516.383.1583Hardecker@aol.comSwarm RemovalSuffolk County
Richard Meyer 917.681.1706Rjmeyer1423@aol.com Swarm RemovalNassau County, Suffolk County, Queens County
Moira Alexander631.664.6810Ramoi@aol.comSwarm RemovalSuffolk CountyNo

List updated 9/15/2020