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For Virginia beekeepers

The Virginia Swarm List

106 honey bee swarms have been reported across 14 Virginia 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 Virginia swarm alerts
106
Swarms reported this season
1.2 million
Bees in those swarms, estimated
1,378 lb
Potential honey from those bees, estimated
1.8 hours
Typical time before a swarm is claimed

Where the swarms are, by area

Shaded by what was reported this season, with the busiest cities marked. Areas in grey have nothing on file yet, which usually means nobody nearby is set up for alerts, not that swarms aren’t happening there.

Accomack: no reports on fileAlbemarle: no reports on fileAlleghany: no reports on fileAmelia: no reports on fileAmherst: no reports on fileAppomattox: no reports on fileArlington: no reports on fileAugusta: no reports on fileBath: no reports on fileBedford: no reports on fileBland: no reports on fileBotetourt: no reports on fileBrunswick: no reports on fileBuchanan: no reports on fileBuckingham: no reports on fileCampbell: no reports on fileCaroline: no reports on fileCarroll: no reports on fileCharles City: no reports on fileCharlotte: no reports on fileChesterfield: no reports on fileClarke: no reports on fileCraig: no reports on fileCulpeper: no reports on fileCumberland: no reports on fileDickenson: no reports on fileDinwiddie: no reports on fileEssex: no reports on fileFairfax: 35 reported this seasonFauquier: 3 reported this seasonFloyd: no reports on fileFluvanna: no reports on fileFranklin: no reports on fileFrederick: no reports on fileGiles: no reports on fileGloucester: no reports on fileGoochland: no reports on fileGrayson: no reports on fileGreene: no reports on fileGreensville: no reports on fileHalifax: no reports on fileHanover: no reports on fileHenrico: no reports on fileHenry: no reports on fileHighland: no reports on fileIsle of Wight: no reports on fileJames City: no reports on fileKing and Queen: no reports on fileKing George: no reports on fileKing William: no reports on fileLancaster: no reports on fileLee: no reports on fileLoudoun: 2 reported this seasonLouisa: no reports on fileLunenburg: no reports on fileMadison: no reports on fileMathews: no reports on fileMecklenburg: no reports on fileMiddlesex: no reports on fileMontgomery: no reports on fileNelson: no reports on fileNew Kent: no reports on fileNorthampton: no reports on fileNorthumberland: no reports on fileNottoway: no reports on fileOrange: no reports on filePage: no reports on filePatrick: no reports on filePittsylvania: no reports on filePowhatan: no reports on filePrince Edward: no reports on filePrince George: no reports on filePrince William: no reports on filePulaski: no reports on fileRappahannock: no reports on fileRichmond: no reports on fileRoanoke: no reports on fileRockbridge: no reports on fileRockingham: no reports on fileRussell: no reports on fileScott: no reports on fileShenandoah: no reports on fileSmyth: no reports on fileSouthampton: no reports on fileSpotsylvania: no reports on fileStafford: no reports on fileSurry: no reports on fileSussex: no reports on fileTazewell: no reports on fileWarren: no reports on fileWashington: no reports on fileWestmoreland: no reports on fileWise: no reports on fileWythe: no reports on fileYork: no reports on fileAlexandria: no reports on fileBristol: no reports on fileBuena Vista: no reports on fileCharlottesville: 9 reported this seasonChesapeake: 3 reported this seasonColonial Heights: no reports on fileCovington: no reports on fileDanville: no reports on fileEmporia: no reports on fileFairfax: no reports on fileFranklin: no reports on fileFredericksburg: 4 reported this seasonGalax: no reports on fileHampton: no reports on fileHarrisonburg: no reports on fileHopewell: no reports on fileLexington: no reports on fileLynchburg: no reports on fileManassas: 14 reported this seasonManassas Park: no reports on fileMartinsville: no reports on fileNewport News: no reports on fileNorfolk: 8 reported this seasonNorton: no reports on filePetersburg: no reports on filePoquoson: no reports on filePortsmouth: no reports on fileRadford: no reports on fileRichmond: 6 reported this seasonRoanoke: 8 reported this seasonSalem: no reports on fileStaunton: 4 reported this seasonSuffolk: no reports on fileVirginia Beach: 5 reported this seasonWaynesboro: 5 reported this seasonWilliamsburg: no reports on fileWinchester: no reports on fileFairfax: 26 reported this seasonFairfaxManassas: 14 reported this seasonManassasCharlottesville: 9 reported this seasonCharlottesvilleHerndon: 9 reported this seasonHerndonNorfolk: 8 reported this seasonNorfolkRoanoke: 8 reported this seasonRoanoke
Swarms reported
2-34-567-910-35None yet
Busiest areasFairfax26Manassas14Charlottesville9Herndon9Norfolk8Roanoke8
Swarms reported in each Virginia area this season, busiest first, with the total on record. The 7 quietest are behind a "show the rest" control below the table.
AreaThis seasonOn record
Fairfax35109
Manassas1434
Charlottesville912
Norfolk822
Roanoke812
Richmond612
Show the other 7 areas
The remaining Virginia areas, continuing the table above.
AreaThis seasonOn record
Virginia Beach512
Waynesboro513
Fredericksburg412
Staunton411
Chesapeake314
Fauquier310
Loudoun215

What a season of Virginia swarms is worth

Retail nucs ran $185 to $325 across the suppliers we checked. At the bottom of that range, the 106 swarms reported in Virginia this season come to roughly $19,610 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 Virginia figure to around $9,805 and still makes a swarm call worth answering.

How fast you need to be in Virginia

A reported swarm in Virginia typically sits 1.8 hoursbefore any beekeeper claims it, which is slower than most people assume and good news if you have a job: you can usually finish what you’re doing and still be the one who collects it. Set your radius to the distance you’d really drive on a weekday, and the alerts that reach you are ones you can act on.

When Virginia swarms

Across the 13 areas we track in Virginia, reports peak in April, 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. This year is running 8% warmer than the same date last year by accumulated growing degree days, so expect the season to start earlier than it did.

Replacing winter losses in Virginia

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 Virginia has had 106 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 April, 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.

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 Virginia swarm alerts

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 Virginia lists the cities local beekeepers cover, and collection costs nothing.

Common questions

How do I get on a swarm list in Virginia?
Most Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia?
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 April. In Virginia, 106 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 Virginia?
Reports across the 13 Virginia areas we track peak in April. Alert volume follows the same curve, so the weeks either side of that peak are when most of a season's swarm calls arrive.
How quickly do I need to respond to a swarm call?
In Virginia a reported swarm is typically claimed within 1.8 hours. 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.