ARRESTaPEST (Gidding) Ltd

Professional Pest Control Services for Households, Businesses and the Farming Community since 1988

Honey Bees

Honey bees play a very important part in the pollination of plants. It is estimated that approximately a third of the human food supply is dependent on insect pollination. Bees are responsible for the majority of this.

Unlike wasps, bees swarm. This is when a second queen is allowed to reach maturity in a hive and will leave the nest taking a large quantity of worker bees with her to set up a new nest. A swirling buzzing swarm can be very alarming to watch and will travel quite fast. They will readily use chimneys and roof eaves for new nest sites. However, they do not always take up residence where they first land often moving on elsewhere after a short time. If a swarm settles into a property it will usually be impossible to remove it.

A healthy hive will have 60,000 or more bees during its peak in mid summer.

Over recent years there has been a sharp decline in the number of honey bees in this country. This is due to various diseases and pathogens within colonies and possibly also due to environmental pressure from farming and changing weather patterns.