A solitary bee such as a bumble bee or masonry bees will burrow itself into soil or masonry to live. A colony of bees may live inside a structure such as a chimney or cavity wall with an entrance at the bottom. It is this colony of bees that can cause concern to householders.

Surprisingly the best known bee, the honey bee is not a protected species and can be legally destroyed. However neither a beekeeper nor a pest control officer would wish to destroy honey bees without a very good reason.

Householders may encounter honey bees in two distinct situations, they may find a colony living in their property or they may witness a swarm of bees.

A colony of honey bees indicates a large amount of bees located in an area of a building or garden. In general if honey bees are left alone they will not pose any risk to householders.

We do not provide a service for the removal of bees, however local beekeepers are often willing to collect a swarm.

A swarm of bees indicates a large amount of bees that would normally be awaiting direction form a queen bee before moving off to relocate in another area. Swarms are usually described as a ball or tear shaped structure made up of bees linked together suspended from a tree or fence, sometimes around the top of posts but always in the open, fully visible and accessible to approach. In these circumstances a beekeeper should be contacted quickly to allow for the swarm to be gathered by them if they wish to do so.

You can also search for beekeepers in your area by visiting the British Beekeepers Association website.

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