Some bees have established a home in a not so good place on my Southern California property. How do I get them moved to a better place? A local commercial beekeeper offered to to it for $250. Would it be realistic to hope for another (amateur?) beekeeper to be interested in taking the colony for free? If so, any suggestions on how to find such a person?
$250.00 is not that much for a specialized service like that. Does the fee include gas/mileage? Even if it doesn’t, go with the experienced beekeeper, for everybody’s safety. Experience is needed to identify the type of bee (invasive species might need to be handled quite differently) and see if the swarm is healthy. You won’t get that on social media sites or for free.