Last Wednesday evening, I embarked on removing a swarm from a shipping container. The club’s chairperson of Wantage Town Football Club, requested help because a bees had congregated in the lock of a shipping container. I was sceptical about my chances at removing them.
Josh from the Club led me to a sturdy metal shipping container with a 4-inch thick door. To my surprise, a cluster of honeybees had taken residence, likely entering through the keyhole. This was no ordinary swarm collection—it promised to be a tricky endeavour.
The Discovery
I was handed a bunch of keys. Zipping up my hooded veil and pulling on leather gloves, I wiggled the key through the buzzing cluster to find the keyhole. I turned it, slid the bolt across, and pulled open the door – I expected bees to pour out.
To my astonishment, the inside of the door was empty. Perplexed, I investigated further. I unscrewed the door’s backing, made of a wood-composite material, revealing the truth: the bees had made their home inside the insulation cavity which was filled with glass fibre insulation. This job was unique as the colony had cleverly nested within the door’s structure; it was the first time I experienced a door-hive!
Watch me in action with this swarm!
The Rescue Mission – Removing a Swarm from a Shipping Container
The colony wasn’t large, but extracting them required care. I began my work, gently removing the bees from the wood-composite backing and the glass fibre insulation. Once I cleared the bees from the cavity, I sprayed the inside of the door with ‘Bee Quick’, an almond oil spray – bees don’t like the smell of almonds. Now the bees remained only on the outer side of the door.
Swarm collecting is about making the best of the hand you’re given. The bees were congregating near the door handle, which I used to attach a frame of beeswax foundation. This acted as a ladder to the nucleus hive which I elevated using boxes. Then with gentle downward sweeping movements, I encouraged the bees onto the frame and into the box.
Once the queen was in the hive, the workers communicated her new residence by putting their abdomens in the air and fanning the scent from their Nasonov glands. Before sunset, all the bees were in their new abode.
With the hive secured, I transported the hive to my Downland apiary, giving them a new home to thrive.
Securing the Cavity
After the rescue, I took steps to prevent future issues. The last thing we want is a rerun of this saga. The container will be scrapped soon, so there’s no need to reinstate the insulation or the door backing. However, I didn’t want a passing swarm to enter the container. I filled the keyhole with the insulation and taped cardboard over the sunken lock mechanism. Now no bees can get in!
Reflections About Removing a Swarm from a Shipping Container
Rescuing bees in a shipping container highlights their incredible adaptability. It’s a reminder that these vital pollinators can find refuge in unlikely places, like a swarm shipping container door. In hindsight, I should have brought a toolbox, but using ‘Bee Quick’ and a bee brush helped me safely relocate them.
If you encounter bees in a shipping container and need to know how to remove bees, contact a local beekeeper promptly to avoid their building significant comb, which makes removal harder. You can find a local (UK based) swarm collector here.
And find more about Beehive Yourself here.
Where’s the strangest place you’ve seen bees?
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