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Beekeeper questions

The questions beekeepers ask us most often, answered in full. If yours isn't here, email this address and a person will reply: [email protected]
How do I join Swarmed to get swarm alerts?
Create a free beekeeper account on beeswarmed.org with your location and the radius you are willing to travel for a swarm. Once that is set, you receive alerts whenever a swarm is reported inside your area. Email alerts are free and there is no membership requirement.
Does it cost anything to use Swarmed?
Email swarm alerts and claiming swarms are free for every beekeeper, permanently. Text and WhatsApp alerts, plus the map and forecasting tools, are available to Contributors, who choose their own amount under a pay-what-you-want model. New beekeepers also get a small number of free text alerts after adding a phone number, so you can try that channel before deciding.
How do notifications and radius settings work?
You set how far you are willing to travel, and Swarmed only alerts you to swarms inside that area. The maximum is 100km or 62 miles, which keeps response times short enough that a swarm is usually still there when someone arrives. You can change the radius at any time in your settings.
Why am I not getting swarm notifications?
The usual reasons are the season, the radius, or local awareness. Swarming is concentrated into a few months, so quiet stretches are normal. A small radius covers fewer reports. And Swarmed only receives reports where the public knows it exists, so in areas we are new to there may simply be nothing coming in yet. Checking your radius and helping spread the word locally both help.
Does anyone get priority alerts?
Alert order does not depend on whether you are a Contributor or a free member, and it cannot be bought. The beekeepers nearest the swarm are alerted first, along with beekeepers who are newer to the platform and have not yet claimed many swarms. If the swarm is still unclaimed a short time later, everyone else within range is alerted. Members of partner associations additionally receive the swarms reported through their own association's form.
What happens if several beekeepers try to claim the same swarm?
Only one beekeeper can hold a swarm. The first successful claim takes it, and the report then shows as unavailable to everyone else. If you open a report and find it already claimed, it almost always means someone who got the same alert claimed it seconds earlier, not that you were left out of an earlier round.
Can I charge for removing swarms?
That is between you and the person who reported it. Many beekeepers collect straightforward swarms for free as a community service. If the job turns out to be complex, or it is an established colony inside a structure rather than a swarm, it is reasonable to discuss a fee. Be aware the reporter can choose to pass and make the swarm available to other beekeepers.
Is my personal information kept private?
Your contact details are only shared with the person whose swarm you claim, and only once you claim it. Swarmed does not publish beekeeper contact information, and associations using Swarmed no longer need to publish their members' phone numbers on a public page.
Is there a Swarmed app?
Not yet. Swarmed is a website, and it is built to work on a phone, which is where most beekeepers open an alert. Alerts reach you by email, text or WhatsApp rather than a push notification. An app is something we want to build, but there is no launch date to share.
Can I pause alerts or change how I hear about swarms?
Yes, all of it is under Settings. You can change your radius, switch between email, text and WhatsApp, pause alerts entirely, choose to hear only about reports our image check has confirmed as honey bees, and decide whether you want reports of established colonies in structures.
What does the Verified badge mean?
It means an image check has looked at the photo on that report and identified honey bees with high confidence. It is a helper, not a guarantee, and reports without a badge are often perfectly good ones that simply arrived without a clear photo. You can choose in Settings to be alerted only about verified reports if you would rather have fewer, higher-confidence alerts.
What if I claim a swarm and cannot go after all?
Release it as soon as you know, from your dashboard. That puts it back in the pool and alerts the other beekeepers who were originally notified, which is far better for the bees and the reporter than a claim nobody acts on. Nothing is held against you for releasing a swarm you cannot reach.
What should I do after I have collected the swarm?
Mark the outcome on your dashboard, either captured or not captured with a reason. It takes a moment and it is what keeps the data honest, including the local figures other beekeepers rely on for trap placement and seasonal timing. If you forget, a reminder email arrives a few days later.
Can I sign in with Google?
Yes. Use Continue with Google on the login page or during signup. If your Google address matches an existing Swarmed account, it connects to that same profile, so your radius, claims and membership stay as they were. You can connect or disconnect Google at any time under Account settings.

New to Swarmed?

Getting started covers setting your radius and choosing how you hear about a swarm, and swarm alerts and claiming explains what happens once one is reported near you.

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