Around Arizona
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local bee information
Bee control in Arizona
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Bees in Arizona: what to know
What to note
Where you see bees, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Bees in Arizona: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which bees actually live in Arizona, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
1993
Africanized honey bee arrival in Arizona
Arizona was among the first states colonized after Texas; feral colonies are presumed Africanized.
UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species ResearchBee species recorded in Arizona
- Western honey bee (European honey bee) (Apis mellifera) — Managed colonies are surveyed by USDA NASS in the listed states; swarms leave hives in spring and move into wall voids, chimneys, and trees. If a colony is killed and not remove…
- Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata hybrids) — Visually indistinguishable from European honey bees; far more defensive and swarm more often. 'They entered Texas in 1990, Arizona and New Mexico in 1993, and California in 1994…
When bees are busiest in Arizona
Desert colonies are active most of the year; USDA ARS (Tucson) notes AHB 'may swarm as often as every six weeks during swarm season'. Nests appear in water meter boxes, block walls, eaves, and overturned pots.
USDA ARS advises staying 'at least 100 feet, or the width of a four-lane highway, from any AHB hive'. Removal of feral colonies is a job for licensed pest control or experienced bee removers, not homeowners.
Rules that apply in Arizona
For context, nationally
Sources: UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research; CDC MMWR; Honey Bee Colonies (August 2026); African Honey Bee, Africanized Honey Bee, Killer Bee (EENY-429 / IN790). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore Arizona cities
Avondale
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Buckeye
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Casa Grande
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Chandler
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Flagstaff
Mountain Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Gilbert
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Glendale
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Goodyear
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Lake Havasu City
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Mesa
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Peoria
Hot Desert · suburban setting
Read the local guide →Phoenix
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Prescott
Mountain Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Scottsdale
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Sierra Vista
Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Surprise
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Tempe
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Tucson
Hot Desert · urban setting
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Yuma
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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Queen Creek
Hot Desert · suburban setting
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