What is the underlying concept of the site?

Each of the ~3000 UK,  POSTCODES are represented by a space on the platform where "Swarm Reporters" can post their swarms, with "Swarm Collectors" getting direct and immediate notifications. These two can then communicate to rehome the honey bees; quickly and efficiently. 

 Can I join more than one postcode space?

Yes. Join as many POSTCODES as you can.  The more Postcode spaces, the more chance of getting a notification. You can join and leave at any time. Use this LINK to find all the postcodes that are within a specific radius of where you live. Make sure to tick the box “Output Only Outcodes”.

 Why do in only get notifications as daily emails and not real-time notifications about swarms?

It is likely that you have set the notifications for each space.  Go to your account settings page select notifications on the left side and then make sure that all your spaces are listed in the box saying “Receive “New Content” notifications.” This should give you real-time notifications.

 Why am I not receiving emails?

Emails are a really difficult issue.  A lot of our email traffic gets marked as spam.  To help avoid this, add [email protected] to your address book.  Also, check your email address,  typos are common and result in non-delivery of the emails. If you are on Gmail or Hotmail then there is a useful trick to make sure you get all the emails.  Go to your settings, and set up a new filter, such that anything from the [email protected] address gets filtered and check the rule "Never send it to spam".  

Why am I receiving too many emails?

You should get an email for every post or update to a post as well as a daily email if there is any activity in your set of postcodes that you have joined. If there is a group that you wish to stop receiving notifications for and only get the daily email, then remove them from your notifications bar in your account settings or leave the space.

Unfortunately, we have had some issues where the system gets confused and loops the same email on an hourly basis. If the admin is not receiving these emails then it goes unnoticed. So in this instance please drop a heads up to [email protected]. 

 How do I add pictures to my profile?

Drag and drop a profile pic and a banner to the relevant spaces on your profile. The system will resize accordingly, but a square profile pic and banner of 1000 x 100 should work nicely.  Decorating your page will help with communication as you will be visible to the swarm reporters.

How do I switch between being a swarm reporter and a swarm collector?

You can join or leave the functional groups and therefore get the access required by navigating to the settings menu by your picture, top right and selecting the left side menu "My Groups". All Swarm Collectors are also Swarm Reporters so no need to join both groups.

Is there an app on play store?

There is no longer a dedicated app however if you open the website and find the "Add to desktop" in the settings for your mobile browser, this will create the app of the website for you on your phone. 

How do get more swarms?

• Spread the word. The more people who know to use the site with swarms, the more for all of us. Use social media and tell your friends, especially beekeepers. More beekeepers will actually result in more swarms for you as the reach of the site increases and often beekeepers will share info on swarms if they don't have any more spare equipment or they are out of their desired range. 
• Join as many groups as you can. Expand your range that you are willing to travel, don't limit yourself to just your postcode. The more spaces you join the more chance there are of getting swarms. 
• I have found posting the text half way down this page along side some nice pictures of swarms and the QR code for the site onto Nextdoor and local facebook pages has brought in huge numbers of swarm reports, mostly in my local area.  If one person from every area does this then there will be no end of swarm notifications.

My postcode is not listed.

Check your postcode for the format.  By Postcodes, we mean Out-Postcodes.  The Out-Code is the part before the space so do not include any numbers after this. e.g:  SA6 6XX is an SA6 post code and not a SA66 postcode. If there is a postcode missing from the list, then please contact [email protected] and we will get it added ASAP. 

Can I add my own Postcodes?

No.  All the UK postcodes are now added so there is no need for this.  If there is a postcode missing from the list, then please contact [email protected] and we will get it added ASAP. 

Why are most of the swarms reported in Swansea?

Swansea was the area that first took on BeeSwarm. In fact, the site was set up for them. It has been running there for the longest, so people know to report swarms here. Also the area has the most signed up swarm collectors and the support from the local BKA. Hence the most swarms are reported here.  If you want more swarms then spread the word more and get a community of beekeepers involved. Key is getting the clubs involved as they can channel their notifications through the site and save time and effort too.

How is this better than other routes?

• Simple and easy URL.
• Notifications of swarms are much faster. 1 post goes directly to all the registered beekeepers in each postcode area.
• Beekeepers can control their area, growing and shrinking it depending on how badly they want a swarm and how much kit they have availiable.
• No noise of people showing off their swarms and confusing things, as this content is on personal pages. The facebook groups seem to be more about people bragging about their latest swarm, than people with swarms asking for help. Quite often it is hard to tell the difference!
• Easy advice and help. 
• No having to search for and phone around loads of people. - We are not a phone number list.
• No stress of contacting random people on facebook who don't reply because the swarm is no longer there or they are away from their computer or have privicy settings that block the message. 
• No stress with facebook with people requesting urgent help with a fabulous swarm but expecting everyone to know where they live!!!
• No confused search terms. Everything is postcode related. 
• No need for club secretaries to be sending out hundreds of emails to all of their club and delaying the contacts.
• No need for swarm reporters to get inundated with phone calls asking about the swarm for the following three days after the swarm has been collected.
• The list goes on....