Need a beekeeper to collect a swarm? Report it here.

Log a Bee Swarm, Help Map the Season

Add the swarms you've caught or seen, and they support open research that helps every beekeeper.

...swarms logged by beekeepers

Log a swarm you caught or spotted

When did you see this swarm?

Size

Where was it?

Height (optional)

Duration (optional)

This swarm landed in a trap or bait hive I set out

Add a photoStrongly recommended

A single clear photo makes this a research-grade observation we can verify and open-source on iNaturalist. Logs with a photo are far more useful to researchers.

Add photos

Notes (optional)

Location

Search an address or tap the map to drop a pin where you found the swarm.

Colony temperament & behavior (optional)

Defensive honey bees (commonly known as "Africanized honey bees") can't be identified by sight, only lab testing confirms the genetics. These notes record what you observed to help map bee behavior over time. They are an observation, not a diagnosis, and defensive behavior alone does not confirm a colony's genetics.

Temperament

Behaviors you observed (check any that apply)

Sent up an unusually large defensive responseFollowed or chased a long distance (100+ yards)Abandoned the nest (absconded) readily when disturbedNested in a small or underground cavity (meter box, wall void, tire)Produced repeated small swarms

Lab confirmation

Only choose a "confirmed" option if the colony was actually tested (wing measurement, DNA, or by a state apiarist).

Behavior notes (optional)

Outcome (optional)

Email (optional)

Leave your email and I'll send you a full report on the data from this season. I won't share your email with anyone.

Beekeeper's Pledge

Your swarm log supports research that helps every beekeeper in the community. Honest data is what makes that work. Fabricated entries waste model training and erode trust.

I'm logging a swarm I personally observed. I understand this data supports research and that fabricated entries are removed.

Why your swarm matters

A signal we can't otherwise see

Where and when swarms happen is one of the clearest seasonal signals of bee and ecosystem health, but it has gone mostly unrecorded.

Built from real observations

Each report is a georeferenced point in time. Together they reveal how the season shifts year to year and region to region, far beyond what any single beekeeper can see.

Open science, in time

We'll open-source these citizen-science observations on iNaturalist over time so the wider research community can build on them.

Curious about the methodology, the growing-degree-day models, and the research behind this? Read about Swarmed's data.

When swarms get reported, nationwide

The share of swarms reported to Swarmed in each month, across recent seasons. The gold bar marks where we are now.

Want to see every reported swarm?

Leave your email and I'll send you access to the full map: more than 17,000 individual swarm reports, with the season and likelihood tools I've built for beekeepers.

Mateo, 5th generation beekeeper

Prefer to look around first? Explore the data behind Swarmed.