[Swarm List](/swarm-list) / Massachusetts For Massachusetts beekeepers # The Massachusetts Swarm List 771 honey bee swarms have been reported across 23 Massachusetts cities this season, each one a free colony for whichever beekeeper gets there first. Swarmed texts or emails you the moment one is reported near your apiary, free, with no membership and no waiting list. [Get Massachusetts swarm alerts](/auth/beekeeper-signup) 771 Swarms reported this season 9.0 million Bees in those swarms, estimated 10,000 lb Potential honey from those bees, estimated 32 minutes Typical time before a swarm is claimed ## Where the swarms are, by county Shaded by what was reported this season, with the busiest cities marked. Counties in grey have nothing on file yet, which usually means nobody nearby is set up for alerts, not that swarms aren’t happening there. Swarms reported 16-19 20-42 43-59 60-77 78-291 None yet Busiest areas Newton 97 Woburn 85 Boston 77 Framingham 66 Lynn 52 Barnstable Town 51 Swarms reported in each Massachusetts county this season, busiest first, with the total on record. The 4 quietest are behind a "show the rest" control below the table. County | This season | On record Middlesex County | 291 | 495 Bristol County | 99 | 135 Suffolk County | 77 | 131 Essex County | 75 | 135 Worcester County | 59 | 124 Barnstable County | 51 | 97 Show the other 4 counties Show fewer counties The remaining Massachusetts counties, continuing the table above. County | This season | On record Plymouth County | 42 | 71 Norfolk County | 42 | 79 Hampden County | 19 | 39 Hampshire County | 16 | 25 ## What a season of Massachusetts swarms is worth Retail nucs ran $185 to $325 across the suppliers we checked. At the bottom of that range, the 771 swarms reported in Massachusetts this season come to roughly **$142,635** of bees, arriving free to whoever collects them. The comparison isn’t exact: a swarm arrives without drawn comb, without a laying-proven queen, and it can abscond in the first week. Most beekeepers who work swarms treat two caught colonies as worth about one bought nuc, which halves the Massachusetts figure to around $71,318 and still makes a swarm call worth answering. ## How fast you need to be in Massachusetts A reported swarm in Massachusetts is typically claimed within 32 minutes. That’s faster than any mailing list or monthly meeting can move, and it’s why a county swarm list stops working once more than a few people are on it. Alerts reach your phone as the report lands, so the question is whether you’re free that afternoon, not whether you heard in time. ## When Massachusetts swarms Across the 10 counties we track in Massachusetts, reports peak in June, and alert volume follows the same curve: the weeks either side of that peak are when most of a season’s swarm calls arrive at once. ## Setting swarm traps in Massachusetts The first Massachusetts swarms of the season are typically reported around mid May, so traps want to be hung by **late April**, before the scouts start searching. That comes from two seasons of Massachusetts swarm reports and marks the state’s early edge; cooler and higher parts of Massachusetts run later. Where to hang them is the harder question. Trap Placement on the Swarmed dashboard ranks the five best spots inside your catching radius, weighing where swarms have been reported, distance from your apiary, other beekeepers nearby and mature tree canopy. [How to build, bait and time a swarm trap](/swarm-trap), with the season start for every state we can date. ## Replacing winter losses in Massachusetts US beekeepers lost 30.3% of their colonies over the 2025-26 winter, and replacements get ordered in January and February for an April pickup. Swarm season follows close behind, and this season Massachusetts has had **771 honey bee swarms reported** so far. A nuc ordered in February arrives as a known quantity on a known date, and it’s the right call if you need the colony working a specific crop. A caught swarm costs nothing, arrives on its own schedule around June, and comes with the forager population a package doesn’t have. Most beekeepers rebuilding after a bad winter end up doing both. [Compare nucs, packages and caught swarms on cost and timing](/nuc-vs-package-vs-swarm). ## Everyone in range gets the same report at once ### A county swarm list - A page of names and phone numbers, ordered by whoever is top - Goes stale between annual updates - Usually needs association membership and a meeting - A homeowner who reaches two people who can’t go calls an exterminator third ### Swarmed - Every nearby beekeeper gets the same report at the same moment - Text, WhatsApp or email, with location and photos attached - First to claim it gets it, no queue position - No membership, and you set the radius you’ll drive [Start getting Massachusetts swarm alerts](/auth/beekeeper-signup) ## Found a swarm rather than looking for one? This page is written for beekeepers. If bees have turned up on your property, [free swarm removal in Massachusetts](/bee-removal/massachusetts) lists the cities local beekeepers cover, and collection costs nothing. ## Common questions **How do I get on a swarm list in Massachusetts?** Most Massachusetts swarm lists are run by county beekeeping associations or the state apiary office, and getting on one usually means joining the association first. With Swarmed you sign up, set the area you're willing to drive to, and every swarm reported inside it comes straight to you. There's no membership requirement and no waiting for the list to be updated. **Does it cost anything to receive Massachusetts swarm alerts?** No. Alerts are free for beekeepers. Swarmed is supported by contributions from beekeepers who choose to pay what they think it's worth, not by charging for access to swarms. **Can I replace winter losses with caught swarms in Massachusetts?** Yes for rebuilding numbers, no for a colony a specific crop depends on. US beekeepers lost 30.3% of their colonies over the 2025-26 winter, and replacements are usually ordered in January and February for an April pickup, while swarms arrive later and on their own schedule, peaking in June. In Massachusetts, 771 honey bee swarms have been reported to Swarmed this season, so the supply is there for anyone set up to respond quickly. **When is swarm season in Massachusetts?** Reports across the 10 Massachusetts counties we track peak in June. Alert volume follows the same curve, so the weeks either side of that peak are when most of a season's swarm calls arrive. **When should I put out swarm traps in Massachusetts?** By late April. Across two seasons of swarm reports to Swarmed, the first Massachusetts swarms typically appear around mid May, and a trap needs to be up before the scouts start searching. Cooler and higher parts of the state run later. **How quickly do I need to respond to a swarm call?** In Massachusetts a reported swarm is typically claimed within 32 minutes. Alerts arrive the moment the report is submitted, so you find out at the same time as every other beekeeper in range. **Is catching a swarm a real alternative to buying a nuc?** Roughly two for one. A caught swarm costs nothing and comes with local genetics, but it arrives without drawn comb or a laying-proven queen and can abscond in the first week, so beekeepers who work swarms tend to treat two caught colonies as worth about one purchased nuc. They also don't need ordering in winter for a pickup date months later.