Monthly Meetings are at Centralia College, 701 W. Walnut St., Centralia WA 98531
Centralia, WA 98531
fax: N/A
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In spring & summer, LCBA volunteers capture honey bee swarms in Lewis County, Washington, free of charge. FYI, LCBA is a WA nonprofit corporation & 501(c)3 organization, not a county agency.
Colony removals: for information about individuals who will remove established bee colonies, scroll down below swarm list. Some of these individuals may charge for their removal services.
Not in Lewis or the southern part of Thurston County? Click here to visit Beesource.com's nationwide bee swarm & colony removal list.
Lewis County Beekeepers' Association does not guarantee outcomes of swarm captures: names listed below are volunteers who are willing to remove bees for free. Our volunteers will gladly accept donations for gas, supplies, or to support LCBA's educational programs. We will hive bees for homeowners who are members of LCBA; otherwise, our volunteers take the bees.
Before contacting our volunteers, please have the following information ready:
(1) Your physical address & telephone #
(2) Where are the bees? Please give us details:
* If it is a swarm, how high off the ground are the bees? Do you have ladders or do our volunteers need to bring one?
* If they are in a structure, what kind of structure, & where in the structure?
Above, honey bee swarm hived at May 30, 2015 LCBA workshop.
Honey Bee Swarms ~ Volunteers by Area
When you call one of our volunteers, please do not call others on the list: give our volunteer time to get back to you. Many of our volunteers have full time jobs. If you do call multiple volunteers, please respect our volunteers' time by calling others back to let them know they are not needed after a volunteer contacts you.
Adna:
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Steve Howard: (360) 827-1527
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Bob McCormick: (360) 880-6752
Bucoda
Adam Claridge: (360) 763 1320
Steve Howard: (360) 827-1527
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Centralia:
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Steve Howard: (360) 827-1527
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Austin Nelson: (360) 623-2543
William R. Pittman: (360) 736-8061
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Gillian Davis: (503) 284-1844
Chehalis:
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Austin Nelson: (360) 623-2543
Dave Batchelor: (360) 748-6250
William R. Pittman: (360) 736-8061
Phil Wilson: (360) 785 3804; (360) 219-6694
Gillian Davis: (503) 284-1844
Courtney Miller: (360) 623-9532
Bob McCormick: (360) 880-6752
Elbe:
Stevan Mayer: (360) 496-5503
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Ethel:
Ed Odell: (360) 978-4659
Dave Batchelor: (360) 748-6250
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Glenoma:
Nancy Toenyan: (360) 983-3009
Richard Kain: (360) 498-5473
Nancy Miller: (360) 880-7400
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Grays Harbor County:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Littlerock:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Mineral:
Stevan Mayer: (360) 496-5503
Nancy Toenyan: (360) 983-3009
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Morton:
Nancy Toenyan: (360) 983-3009
Richard Kain: (360) 498-5473
Nancy Miller: (360) 880-7400
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Mossyrock:
Nancy Toenyan: (360) 983-3009
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Rich Harned: (360) 520-0388
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Napavine:
Mel Grigorich: (360) 262-3500; (360) 269-1089
Gottfried Fritz: (360) 996-4957
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M; (206) 915-0466
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Olympia:
Olympia Beekeepers' Association Swarm Phone #: 360-515-1068
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Onalaska:
Ed Odell: (360) 978-4659
Dave Batchelor: (360) 748-6250
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Packwood/Randle:
Nancy Toenyan: (360) 983-3009
Nancy Miller: (360) 880-7400
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Pe Ell:
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Rochester:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Steve Howard: (360) 827-1527
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Tenino:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Toledo:
Ed Odell: (360) 978-4659
Erik Wingren: (209) 973-6975
Dawn Wiltbank: (360) 269 0637
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Tumwater:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Vader:
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Winlock:
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Erik Wingren: (209) 973-6975
Dawn Wiltbank: (360) 269 0637
Ed & Sue Carter: (303) 596-8863; (720) 289-7293
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M; (206) 915-0466
REMOVING BEES FROM STRUCTURES WHERE THEY HAVE AN ESTABLISHED COLONY
As an association, LCBA does not remove established bee colonies from structures, except for occasional teaching workshops. Below is a list of individuals who are willing to remove bees from structures. In some cases, charges may apply, particularly where removals are complicated and/or require significant travel. Those listed below will ask before tearing down siding, etc., but putting structures back together is up to the homeowner.
By Area
Adna:
Steve & Barb Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Centralia:
Kevin & Jeanne Reichert: (360) 269-6337; (360) 736-8279
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
William R. Pittman: (360) 736-8061
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Chehalis:
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
William R. Pittman: (360) 736-8061
Phil Wilson: (360) 785 3804; (360) 219-6694
Elbe:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Ethel:
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Glenoma:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Grays Harbor County:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Littlerock:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Mineral:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Morton:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Mossyrock:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Napavine:
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Olympia:
Olympia Beekeepers' Association Phone #: 360-515-1068
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Onalaska:
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Packwood/Randle:
Martin Stenzig: (360) 525-3991; (781) 354-4291
Pe Ell:
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Rochester:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Tenino:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Toledo:
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Tumwater:
Cody Warren: (360) 388-1669; (253) 905-1452
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Vader:
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Winlock:
Ed & Sue Carter: (303) 596-8863; (720) 289-7293
Rick Battin: (360) 266-0050; M: (206) 915-0466
Steve & Barbara Grega: (360) 269-2909; (360) 262-9513
Phil Wilson: (360) 785-3804; (360) 219-6694
Want to go along on a virtual tour of a honey bee colony extraction? Click here for Team Mossyrock's writeup of one of their bee removal adventures.
Below, Team Mossyrock usually consists of (left to right) LCBA Past-President Norm Switzler (the guy with the bees all over his back), Martin Stenzig, Nancy Toenyan, & (photographer, not pictured) Marcelle Stenzig, plus others who want the experience!
To learn more about LCBA colony removal workshops, click here for our Mentors & Classes page.
Are you sure you have bees, not yellowjackets, hornets, wasps, or bumblebees? FYI - LCBA volunteers only remove honey bees.
NEED YELLOWJACKETS, WASPS, OR HORNETS REMOVED? Scroll down this column for contact information.
(Image from Extension.org)
Honey bees are normally gentle: stinging kills them, so if you move slowly & quietly, they are not likely to sting you. (To learn more about bee stings, click here.)
Also, honey bees normally are not ground nesters: if you have stinging insects coming out of the ground, they are likely yellowjackets.
Below are honey bees on comb:
In contrast, below, paper wasps on nest: (Image is titled "Paper wasps and nest, about 8 feet off the ground, Los Angeles, California," by downtowngal, Wikimedia Commons; CC-BY-3.0).
Observing differences between honey bee comb & yellowjacket/hornet nests are very helpful in telling what you've got!
Below, here's what a wasp nest looks like:
Below, what a wild honey bee nest looks like:
Below, what honey bee comb looks like:
Helpful websites for telling whether you have honey bees, yellow jackets, wasps, or something else: click here for the University of California-Riverside's page, or visit Washington State Beekeepers' Association bee/wasp identification page.
Want to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets, Wasps, or Hornets?
Between Longview & Centralia, WA:
Carl Roush, 360 578 2018 (May through September). Retired Lower Columbia College Biology Instructor Carl Roush seeks yellow jackets, wasps, & hornets - he works with a laboratory to process their venom to help those with allergies. Click here for his card.
Between Centralia & Olympia, WA:
Cascadia Venom Collection serves all of Thurston, and some of Lewis, Mason, Pierce and Grays Harbor Counties: http://cascadiavenomcollection.com/
Email: freeremoval@cascadiavenomcollection.com
Phone: (360) 866-1834
Need Bumblebees Removed?
Contact Honey Bee Allies: http://www.beeallies.com/contact/
Got Swarms? Want Bees? Bee Prepared!
Set up a bait hive! Nuc boxes make great bait hives. Insert frames with comb - or rub beeswax on fresh frames if you don't have old comb. Some lemon essential oil may help, & possibly a little honey. Conventional wisdom says to place your bait hive about ten feet up. Of course, bees have minds of their own . . . and your nicely placed bait hive may sit lonely as the Maytag repairman while bees swarm into a tree or bush. But it's worth a try, as many beekeepers do catch bees this way!
WATCH A VIDEO OF A COLONY REMOVAL:
To see a YouTube video by the Centralia Chronicle featuring LCBA's Past-president, Norm Switzler, & other Bee Team members removing a colony from the historic Salzer Valley Schoolhouse in Centralia, WA on July 19, 2009, click here.
Above, LCBA President Kevin Reichert leads an instructional colony carve-out; below, helpers Steve & Barb Grega took home this colony (photos, Jeanne Reichert):
Below, Jeanne leading the comb-pinning station: the carved out comb is carefully pinned &/or rubber-banded into frames, preserving both brood & food supplies for the bees to work from in their new homes:
Below, closeup of pinned comb:
Above, Past-president Norm Switzler & new friends, Onalaska, July 2012; below, fitting extracted comb into frames. It's important to preserve the original comb orientation so that larvae don't fall from brood cells, among other reasons. To view a slideshow of different types of colony removals, click here; to learn more, see our April 2013 newsletter.
Above, comb extracted from a barn wall near Winlock, Washington.
Above, mentor Gordon Bellevue teaches comb pinning at a removal workshop in Winlock, 2014; below, nicely pinned comb:
Below, capped brood, left, capped honey, right; in between are cells filled with "bee bread," a.k.a. pollen:
Below, runs of comb exposed when a roof panel was removed at this 2014 Winlock removal workshop:
Below, a closer look at the runs of comb. You can see capped brood in the farthest-back run:
Above, bees built comb on the outside of a pumphouse in Bucoda; below, the "Pump House Girls," close up:
Copyright 2012 Lewis County Beekeepers' Association. All rights reserved.
Monthly Meetings are at Centralia College, 701 W. Walnut St., Centralia WA 98531
Centralia, WA 98531
fax: N/A
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