Bees perform a vital role because they are responsible for pollinating flowers, enabling us to enjoy fruit such as apples, tomatoes and even more flowers next year.

All bees whether solitary or social feed on pollen and nectar and they rear their young on the same diet. In this respect they differ from almost all the wasps, whose young are fed on a meat diet.

For more information please use the contact addresses at the foot of this page.

Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Honey bees, both feral (wild) and colonised, are important beneficial insects, not normally considered as pests. They live either in the wild in nests, or as colonies in hives kept by beekeepers. In either case they will only sting people if strongly provoked.

Because of their beneficial role, every effort should be made to avoid carrying out control treatments against bees. Treatment with a pesticide should be considered only as the last resort.

Risks from treated nests - If foraging non-target honey bees find a nest which has been treated, they will carry away contaminated honey. This can lead to: contamination of honey destined for food use, serious bee kills and the destruction of hives.

Should we treat a honey bee nest? - If asked to treat a feral honey bee nest, we address the situation extremely carefully. Have people been stung by honey bees from the nest or are they at risk because of its location? If the nest is not causing any risk to public health then we carefully consider alternatives before carrying out a treatment.

If treatment is considered necessary once treatment is complete, every reasonable action should be taken to prevent foraging honey bees from gaining access to the treated nest, by removing the combs or blocking the nest entrances.

Bumble Bee (Bombus terrestris)

They look almost too big to fly and their stripy hair bodies and familiar ‘buzz’ are an essential part of any garden in the summer. There are 25 species of this type of bee in Britain and not all of them are stripy! They form fairly small colonies of no more than a few hundred individuals. The colony is headed by the ‘queen bee’ who lays the eggs, while worker bees collect the pollen and nectar which keeps the colony supplied. They are very important pollinators for both farmers and gardeners. Please remember that bumble bees will never attack you if left alone. If you do want to have a bumble bee nest removed please contact the Beekeepers Association for advice.

More information in pdf format from The Bumblebee Working Group

Help save the Bumblebee - get more buzz from your garden

Useful addresses:-

British Beekeepers Association
National Agricultural Centre
Stoneleigh
Warwickshire CV8 2LZ

Tel: 01203 696679

List of national swarm collectors at www.kentbee.com/swarms.htm

National Bee Unit
Central Science Laboratory
Room No 10GA05
Sand Hutton
York YO41 1LZ

Tel: 01904 462510