Live Honey Bee Removal & Swarm Collection in Harrisburg, PA 

The Alleman Apiary is a working beekeeping operation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We collect honey bee swarms and remove established colonies from homes, businesses, and farms throughout Central PA — and every bee we collect goes home to one of our managed apiaries. We're not exterminators. We're beekeepers who answer the phone, show up the same day during swarm season, and add your bees to our hives. Call or text 717-379-3248. 

If you see a cluster of bees hanging in a tree, fence, or building

That's an established colony, which means there's comb, brood, honey, and thousands of bees inside. The longer it stays, the bigger and harder to remove it gets. We provide free on-site estimates and remove the colony alive using bee vacuums and careful comb extraction. We also seal the entry point so a new swarm doesn't move in next spring.

Bumble Bee Relocation

Bumble bees aren't honey bees, but they're not pests either — and they're absolutely not something we exterminate. The Alleman Apiary will relocate bumble bee nests from your property to our apiary, where they'll continue to do what bumble bees do best: pollinate. We're one of the only operations in Central PA that handles bumble bees this way. Most pest control companies kill them. Most beekeepers won't touch them. We do.

What's a Bumble Bee Doing in My Yard?

Bumble bees are native Pennsylvania pollinators. They're large, fuzzy, mostly black with yellow bands, and they're one of the most important pollinators of native plants, vegetable gardens, and fruit trees. A typical bumble bee colony has only 50-400 workers — small compared to the 2,000+ workers in a yellow jacket nest or 50,000+ in a honey bee colony.

Bumble bees usually nest in the ground — abandoned mouse holes, mulch piles, compost bins, under sheds, in railroad ties, in the cavities under decks. They sometimes nest above ground in soffits, wall voids, or birdhouses, but ground nesting is more common. The colony only lasts one season — the entire workforce dies in fall, and only the new queens overwinter to start fresh colonies the following spring.

Are Bumble Bees Aggressive?

No. Bumble bees are docile. They sting only if directly threatened — if you step on the nest entrance, mow over it, or stick your hand in. Working in your garden 10 feet away from a bumble bee nest is generally fine; they ignore you. Compare this to yellow jackets, which actively defend a wide perimeter and will sting unprovoked.

That said: bumble bees CAN sting, and unlike honey bees, they can sting multiple times. If you have a known bee allergy, keep distance and let us relocate them.

Why We Relocate Instead of Exterminating

Several Pennsylvania bumble bee species are in serious decline. The rusty-patched bumble bee is federally listed as endangered. Other native bumble bee species are being considered for listing. Killing a bumble bee colony to make a yard "easier to mow" is a real loss — these are the bees pollinating local strawberries, tomatoes, blueberries, and native wildflowers.

When we relocate a bumble bee nest, the colony goes to our apiary where they live out their natural season pollinating our property and the surrounding area. The new queens that emerge in fall overwinter, and next spring there are more bumble bees in Central PA, not fewer.

How Bumble Bee Relocation Works

1. Send us a photo at 717-379-3248. We confirm it's actually bumble bees (not yellow jackets, not honey bees, not carpenter bees) before doing anything else.

2. We schedule a relocation. Bumble bee relocation is best done at dusk or in cooler morning temperatures when the foragers are inside the nest.

3. We come out, locate the nest entrance, and carefully transfer the colony — comb, brood, queen, and workers — into a transport box. For ground nests this sometimes involves carefully digging out a small section of soil with the nest intact.

4. The nest moves to our apiary. We give them an undisturbed location to finish out their season.

5. Your yard is bumble-bee-free, no pesticides used, no native pollinators killed 

Pricing & Limitations

Bumble bee relocation is priced based on accessibility and complexity. Ground nests in open lawn are the most straightforward. Nests inside walls, deep in compost piles, or in difficult locations may not be relocatable — in some cases, the right answer is "leave them alone for the rest of the season; the colony dies naturally in fall and won't return next year." We'll tell you honestly which case you're in.

What we won't do: kill a bumble bee colony with pesticides as a default service. If you're insisting a native pollinator be exterminated, you should call somebody else. We'd rather walk away than take that work.

What If It's Not a Bumble Bee?

Send us a photo to 717-379-3248 — we identify free. If it's:

• Honey bees — we handle live removal directly. See our Bee Removal page.

• Yellow jackets, hornets, or wasps — those are pest insects, not pollinators, and treatment is appropriate. Our sister business Lawns Plants & Pests LLC handles those.

• Carpenter bees — large solitary bees that bore round holes into wood. They damage structures and are treated as pests. Lawns Plants & Pests handles these.

• Bumble bees — we relocate to our apiary, as described above.

One phone number — 717-379-3248 — sorts out which is which.

Why Call a Beekeeper Instead of an Exterminator?

When you call a pest control company about bees, the technician's job is to make the bees go away. When you call a beekeeper, our job is to make the bees go home with us. We use bee vacuums that collect bees alive, we save and reuse the comb where possible, and the colony goes into one of our hives — not a trash bag. We've been doing this long enough to know how to read a colony, find the queen, and get them set up at the apiary so they survive the move. We also work alongside our sister company, Lawns Plants & Pests LLC, a licensed Pennsylvania pest control operation that handles yellow jackets, hornets, wasps, and other stinging insects that can't be relocated. So when you call about a "bee problem," you're getting a complete answer no matter what species you actually have.

Service Area

We respond to swarm calls and removal jobs throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, and York Counties — including Harrisburg, Paxtang, Penbrook, Steelton, Highspire, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Palmyra, Annville, Cleona, Lebanon, Grantville, Linglestown, Colonial Park, Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, Wormleysburg, Enola, Marysville, Halifax, Millersburg, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Mount Wolf, Manchester, Dillsburg, Carlisle, Boiling Springs, and surrounding Central Pennsylvania communities. Outside our range? Call anyway — we know most of the working beekeepers in Central PA and we'll connect you with the closest one.

Pricing

Accessible swarms (in a tree, on a fence, or on the side of a structure): typically free of charge. We're glad to add bees to our apiary, and you get a fast, no-fuss removal.

Established colonies inside structures (walls, soffits, chimneys, sheds): quoted on-site after we see the location. Pricing depends on access, height, how much comb has built up, and whether siding or drywall needs to come off. We provide free estimates and never start work without your approval.

Cut-outs and trap-outs from trees: call to discuss. Every tree job is different and we want to look at it before quoting.

Bee Removal FAQs

Will you really come collect a swarm for free?

Yes. Healthy swarms are valuable to a working beekeeper — they're how apiaries grow. As long as the swarm is accessible (within reach of a ladder, not 40 feet up a tree), we typically collect it at no charge. Tell your neighbors.

How long does swarm season last?

In Central PA, swarm season runs roughly April through early July, peaking in May and early June. Late-season swarms can happen but are less common. Once you see a swarm, you have hours to days — not weeks — before they move on, so don't wait to call.

What does the removal process look like for bees in a wall?

We arrive in bee suits with a bee vacuum, smoker, and tools to open the structure. We locate the colony (sometimes with a thermal camera or stethoscope), open the wall just enough to access the comb, vacuum the bees alive, cut and save usable comb, and seal the entry point. The bees and salvageable comb come back to our apiary the same day. The structural opening is your responsibility to repair, but we leave it clean.

What happens to the bees after you take them?

They go to one of our managed apiaries in Central Pennsylvania. We inspect them, treat for varroa mites if needed, give them a new hive box with frames (and salvaged comb when possible), and let them settle in. Most colonies recover from the move within a few weeks and many produce honey their first season with us.

Are honey bees endangered?

European honey bees aren't formally endangered, but managed colonies have been struggling for decades with varroa mites, viral diseases, pesticide exposure, and habitat loss. Every saved colony matters — for the bees, for local food production, and for the gardens, orchards, and farms they pollinate.

How Much Does Honey Bee Removal Cost?

Honest answer: most live honey bee removals in Central PA range from $500 to $1,000+, with simpler jobs at the lower end and complex structural work at the higher end. We don't quote a flat rate sight-unseen because every situation is different — a swarm in a tree (which we collect free) is a completely different job than a colony established inside a second-story wall void with three years of accumulated comb.

What pushes a removal toward the lower end of the range:

• Accessible location (ground level or step-ladder reachable)

• Recently established colony (smaller comb footprint)

• Single point of entry, easy to identify

• Standard residential structure (siding, simple soffit)

• No major comb removal required

What pushes a removal toward the higher end:

• Second-story or higher locations requiring extension ladders or scaffolding

• Established colonies with extensive comb (often years old)

• Multiple entry points or complex cavity geometry

• Stucco, brick veneer, or hard-to-access cavity types

• Significant structural opening required (drywall, soffit panels, siding)

• Major cleanup of comb, honey, and dead bees

We provide free on-site estimates before any work begins. You'll get a clear, written quote with the scope and price spelled out — no surprise add-ons after the job. If structural repair (replacing siding, drywall, insulation) is part of the work, that's quoted separately or referred to a contractor depending on what's needed.

What About Free Swarm Collection?

That's a separate service. Swarms — clusters of bees hanging in the open from a tree, fence, or eave — are collected at no charge during swarm season because the bees are easy to capture and valuable to a working apiary. Established colonies inside walls, soffits, chimneys, or trees are a different category of work — significantly more involved, requiring specialized equipment and structural access. See our Swarm Collection page for details on the free service.

Can I keep the bees you remove from my house?

Possibly — talk to us. If you have an interest in becoming a beekeeper, we can sometimes set you up with the colony we just removed and help you get started. We also offer beekeeping mentorship and starter equipment.

Bee, Wasp, or Hornet? — Quick Identification Guide

Most calls about "bees" turn out to be something else. Here's how to tell what you have. Send a photo to 717-379-3248 for a free, fast identification — but if you want to figure it out yourself first, this guide covers the most common stinging insects in Central PA.

Honey Bees

Fuzzy, golden-brown to amber-striped, about ½ inch long. They visit flowers, ignore your soda and trash, and don't bore into wood. Honey bees nest in cavities — hollow trees, walls, soffits, chimneys — and build wax comb. A nest is permanent (perennial) and grows over years if undisturbed. What we do: live removal and relocation to our apiaries. See Bee Removal and Swarm Collection.

Bumble Bees

Large, fuzzy all over (including the abdomen), mostly black with yellow bands. About ¾ to 1 inch long. They nest in the ground — old mouse holes, mulch piles, under sheds — or occasionally in soffits. Colonies are small (50-400 workers) and last only one season. Native PA pollinators in decline. Docile. What we do: relocate to our apiary. See the Bumble Bee Relocation section above.

Carpenter Bees

Look like bumble bees BUT the abdomen is shiny and hairless (bumble bee abdomens are fuzzy). They bore round, half-inch holes into deck rails, fascia, beams, and exposed wood. Solitary, not social. Not aggressive — males hover and bluff but can't sting. The problem is wood damage, not safety. What we do: our sister business Lawns Plants & Pests LLC treats them as pests because they damage structures. Not relocated.

Yellow Jackets

Smooth and shiny (no fuzz), bright yellow and black. About ½ inch. They nest in the ground (in old groundhog holes), inside wall voids, or in soffits. Aggressive around food and trash, especially in late summer. Sting repeatedly. Colonies can have 2,000-5,000 workers by fall. What we do: these are pest insects, not pollinators. Lawns Plants & Pests LLC handles treatment.

Bald-Faced Hornets

Large (¾ inch), black with a distinctive white face. They build the football-shaped gray paper nest you see hanging in trees, under eaves, or in shrubs. Aggressive when defending the nest. What we do: Lawns Plants & Pests LLC handles treatment. Despite the name, they're technically a type of yellow jacket — pest, not pollinator.

Paper Wasps

Slender body, long legs that dangle when they fly, brown to reddish-brown with darker markings. They build small umbrella-shaped open-cell nests under deck rails, eaves, mailboxes, and porch lights. Less aggressive than yellow jackets but will defend the nest. What we do: Lawns Plants & Pests LLC handles treatment.

When in Doubt — Send Us a Photo

We identify stinging insects every day. Send a photo to 717-379-3248 with your text and we'll tell you what you have, which business handles it, and what your options are. Identification is always free.

Call or Text 717-379-3248

Same-day response during swarm season. Free estimates on structural removals. Bees relocated to working apiaries in Central Pennsylvania — never exterminated.

For non-honey-bee stinging insects (yellow jackets, hornets, wasps), our sister company Lawns Plants & Pests LLC provides licensed pest control throughout the same service area.