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Services

Bees where you want them. Gone from where you don’t.

We handle hive removals, hive placement for 1-d-1 ag valuation, nucs for new beekeepers, and classes for anyone curious. Out of our apiaries in San Antonio, La Vernia, and Blanco.

Bee & Swarm Removal

You found bees. Now what?

First, look at what you’ve actually got.

A tight cluster hanging off a branch, a fence, a mailbox, or a piece of equipment is a swarm. That’s a colony in transit, resting while scouts look for a permanent home. No honey to guard, no brood to protect, and about as calm as bees ever are. Swarms move on within a day or two, so calling early matters.

A steady stream of bees going in and out of the same hole every day is an established colony. They’ve built comb, they’ve got something to defend, and they aren’t leaving on their own.

We handle both.

What happens: you send the details, we quote it, show up in gear, collect the colony, and we relocate it to one of our apiaries. Nothing gets sprayed, nothing gets attacked, none of that. Your property gets its space back, and the bees get to keep working.

What we don’t do: structural work. If the bees are inside a wall, a soffit, a foundation, or a roof and reaching them means cutting your house open, that’s a job for a contractor working alongside a beekeeper. We’ll tell you that on the first call instead of showing up and finding that out together.

Why removals are quoted, not priced

Every job is different. Height, access, how long they’ve been there, and whether anything’s been sprayed all change the work.

And one more thing worth being straight about. People assume a removal is free because the beekeeper walks off with bees. Sometimes it works out that way. Plenty of other times the colony won’t settle into its new box and leaves within a week, and all that’s left is the drive, the gear, and the afternoon. So no, the bees can’t be the payment.

Registered for bee removals in Texas and insured.

Chantel Bowdoin performing a live bee removal at a public site in Texas
Honeybees entering a colony they built inside a tire before a 6B's Ranch removal in Texas

Tell us about your bees.

Fill this out and Chantel will get back to you with a quote. A photo helps more than anything else you can send.

Heads up. We don’t do structural work, so if reaching these bees means opening the wall, we’ll likely have to refer you out. Send it anyway and we’ll take a look.

Be honest here please. It changes whether the colony can be saved and how we approach the job.

A close shot of the cluster and a wider shot of the area is ideal.

For Texas Landowners

Turnkey hive placement for 1-d-1 open-space valuation.

Texas recognizes beekeeping as a qualifying agricultural use. For a landowner with open acreage, hives are one of the least demanding ways to meet county 1-d-1 open-space requirements.

We handle the whole thing, in phases. We audit the land, then deliver and site the hives. From there, it’s an annual service: we come out and maintain them on your property year to year, so they stay healthy and stay qualifying. You don’t buy equipment, you don’t suit up, and you don’t learn beekeeping.

Acreage minimums and hive counts are set by your county appraisal district, and they aren’t the same everywhere. So the first conversation is short. Tell us where your land is and how many acres you’re working with, and we’ll tell you whether it’s worth pursuing.

Four 6B’s Ranch beehives lined up along a fence at night in Texas
1

Tell us about your land

County, acreage, and what’s on it now.

2

We place the hives

Delivered, sited, and set up on your property.

3

We maintain them

Ongoing inspections and hive care through an annual maintenance agreement. You keep doing whatever you were doing.

We’re beekeepers, not tax advisors. Confirm your specific qualification requirements with your county appraisal district.

For Beekeepers

Four and five frame nucs, ready to go into your box.

A nuc is a small working colony. Laying queen, brood, food stores, and enough bees to keep the whole thing running. Drop the frames into your hive body and the colony picks up where it left off, which beats starting from a package and hoping.

Availability moves around. Ask, and we’ll tell you what’s ready and what it costs.

A frame of bees being placed into a nuc box at 6B’s Ranch in Texas
Honeybees covering a frame of brood comb at a 6B’s Ranch apiary in Texas
Education & Outreach

Standing next to an open hive changes how people think about bees.

Most people have never seen the inside of a colony. They’ve seen bees on a flower, and they’ve been stung by them, and they’ve heard that the bees are in trouble, but that’s about it.

We fix that in about an hour.

Chantel teaches hands-on classes, runs apiary tours, and gives talks for schools, businesses, and community groups. If you’re curious about bees, want to show your kids, or are seriously considering starting a hive of your own, this is the cheapest (and coolest) way to find out what you’re getting into.

Hands-On Classes

Suit up and work an actual hive. Good for beginners and the curious.

Apiary Tours

Come see how a working apiary runs. Families welcome.

Talks & Visits

Schools, businesses, and community groups. We’ll come to you.

Questions we get before the first visit.

How fast can you come out?
Depends on the week and where you are. Send the form, and you’ll hear back. If it’s a swarm, sooner is better, since they usually move along on their own within a day or two.
Will you kill the bees?
No. Every removal is a live relocation to one of our apiaries. If you want them exterminated, we’re the wrong call.
What does a removal cost?
It’s quoted per job, because access, height, and how long they’ve been there all change the work. Send a photo with details, and we’ll text or call you.
The bees are inside my wall. Can you help?
Probably not on our own. We don’t do structural work, which means we won’t cut into a wall, a soffit, a roof, or a foundation to reach a colony. If there’s exterior access, we may still be able to do something, so send a photo, and we’ll tell you honestly. If it needs a contractor, we’d rather say that on day one than after we’ve taken your money.
Someone already sprayed them. Now what?
Tell us. It usually changes the job, and we want as much context of your situation as possible.
I thought removals were free since you get the bees.
Don’t worry, it’s a common assumption. In practice, a good number of relocated colonies leave the new box within days, and the job ends with a beekeeper with no bees to keep.
Are swarms dangerous?
Generally they’re the calmest bees you’ll ever encounter, because there’s no hive to defend yet. Give them space, keep kids and pets back, and email us. Don’t spray them and don’t throw anything at them.
How much land do I need for a 1-d-1 valuation?
That’s set by your county appraisal district and it varies. Tell us the county and the acreage and we’ll tell you whether it’s worth looking into.
Do you do tours for kids?
Yes! Schools and family groups are some of our favorite visits.

Send us a photo, and we’ll take it from there.

If you've got a swarm on a fence post, a colony in a shed, or acreage that needs hives on it. Fill out the form.