Understanding Bee Swarm Season in Central Texas

Swarm season is a buzzing reality around Austin, Lakeway, and the Hill Country. Warm temperatures and nearly year-round blooms mean honey bee colonies grow fast and split off to form new ones.

What a swarm actually is

When a colony outgrows its home, roughly half the bees leave with the old queen to find a new nest. They cluster temporarily — on a branch, fence, or porch — while scouts search for a permanent home. A resting swarm is typically docile because the bees have no hive or honey to defend.

What to do (and not do)

• Keep your distance and keep kids and pets back
• Don't spray or throw anything at it
• Don't seal a wall a swarm has entered — that traps them inside
• Call a beekeeper promptly; a resting swarm can move on or move in within hours

We relocate, not exterminate

If a swarm has landed on your property or moved into a structure, we'll collect it live and re-home it to our Spicewood apiary — humanely and same-day when we can.