Police join beekeepers in battle against swarms buzzing into town

Police have teamed up with beekeepers to catch  swarms which terrorise the public.

As temperatures rise colonies of the flying insects break up into smaller swarms and create larger numbers of new nests.

Police will be working with beekeepers to cordon off affected areas and clear the swarms safely.

East Hertfordshire Chief Inspector, Gerry McDonald, said: "As it gets warmer we will get calls from members of the public telling us about large swarms of bees.

"This is why this year we are working with the Beekeepers Association to find swarms and collect them and to help people at the same time.

"Please call them if you see a swarm of bees and they will come and collect the swarm."

In May, 2017, a large swarm descended into the centre of Bishop's Stortford, Herts., filling the air with bees.

The enormous cloud of flying insects caused a hive of activity among shoppers who were forced to run for cover.

The purpose of removing the bees from where they are originally found is to stop the swarm from heading back to familiar sources of food and to stay where they have been put.

Dr Michael Cook, chairman of the Hertford and Ware Beekeeping Association, said: "We have around 40 people who are on the swarm collection list. When we get information about a swarm we go and assess it.

"If it is a swarm we put traffic cones around and put a white and red tape to stop people going into the area.

"We collect the swarm but we don't take them away immediately. We keep them in a box and wait for the feeder bees to return to the swarm and then take them away.

"What we do is take them to a quarantined area away from where they are from."

Once collected by the beekeepers, the bees are examined to check their health and are then passed on to professional beekeepers to look after.