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Swarm puts the bee in bollard

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Those with a fear of bees, perhaps look away now.

This was the skin-crawling site that greeted passers-by on a busy city street after a swarm decided to make it their temporary home.

Thousands of bees had to be removed from a concrete bollard in Southampton after they were seen by workers at a nearby bar.

Dave Norris, from the Southampton and District Beekeepers Association, was called in to lure the queen bee away into a box, with the swarm of up to 7,000 bees then following.

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Dave Norris removing the swarm

Mr Norris, who was called to deal with the swarm on Friday, said: ‘I have no idea what attracted them to the bollard - if I could tell you why they choose certain places I would be a very rich man.

'They like dark places so the box lures them in and they tend to follow the queen.’

Chloe Adams, from the Orange Rooms bar, told the BBC: 'They just appeared - a big ball of bees. People passing had to do a double take while others ran away.’

It is thought more swarms are being found in towns and cities due to an increase in inexperienced urban beekeepers.