Local bee information

Bee control in New York

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Bees in New York: what to know

Around New York

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

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 New York: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which bees actually live in New York, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

35,000 colonies

Honey bee colonies, January 1, 2026 (operations with five or more colonies)

Managed hives are the source of the spring swarms that end up in homes and trees; the state table is on page 7 of the report.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

17 percent

Colonies lost, January–March 2026

Percent of maximum colonies lost during the first quarter of 2026 in this state.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

Bee species recorded in New York

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…
Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) — Large black-and-yellow bee with a shiny bare abdomen that bores round, about 1/2-inch tunnels into unpainted softwood trim, decks, fascia and railings. 'There is only one specie…
Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) — Social native bees; 'Nests are initiated by a single female (queen) in the spring' in 'a small cavity like an abandoned rodent burrow' (WSU). They 'can sting multiple times; sti…
Rusty patched bumble bee (federally endangered) (Bombus affinis) — 'listed as federally endangered in 2017' (USFWS). States listed are those named in the Xerces Society range description; Xerces reports the species 'declined from an estimated 8…

When bees are busiest in New York

Spring emergence of carpenter bees and honey bee swarms; carpenter bees tunnel through summer.

Cornell CCE Nassau: carpenter bees 'excavate a tunnel one foot or more in length' and 'structural repairs may be necessary if colonies are formed year after year in the same timbers'; 'Well painted, finished structures are a deterrent'.

Rules that apply in New York

EPA bee advisory box label language for neonicotinoid pesticides (2013)

For context, nationally

788 deaths (an average of 72 deaths per year) — Sting deaths, hornets/wasps/bees, 2011–2021. CDC MMWR
84% — Share of sting deaths among males, 2011–2021. CDC MMWR

Sources: Honey Bee Colonies (August 2026); CDC MMWR; Carpenter Bees; Apidae: Bumble Bees (Bombus spp.) — Hortsense; Rusty Patched Bumble Bee. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore New York cities

Albany

Humid Continental · urban setting

Bee control in New York

Bees in New York: what to know

Around New York

What to note

A useful next step

Bees in New York: what the public record shows

Bee species recorded in New York

When bees are busiest in New York

Rules that apply in New York

For context, nationally

Explore New York cities

Albany

Binghamton

Buffalo

Freeport

Hempstead

Ithaca

Long Beach

Mount Vernon

New York

Newburgh

New Rochelle

Niagara Falls

Poughkeepsie

Rochester

Rome

Saratoga Springs

Schenectady

Syracuse

Troy

Utica

Valley Stream

White Plains

Yonkers

Amsterdam

Ask about bee control in New York