It is said the world would starve if not for Apis Mellifera. I don’t doubt it. I have spent hours sitting still by my hives, watching them come and go, and they always amaze me with the way they do things. Highly organised, never stopping, but seemingly at a lovely leisurely pace.

In late Spring and early Summer, they will swarm if allowed. A swarm of bees on the move is incredible to see; a dark cloud that can sound quite deafening if close by. When they land, they will cluster around the queen to protect her, resulting in the football shaped mass that everyone has seen, if only in pictures.

As with all professional pest controllers, I will never kill bees. Wherever possible I will remove the swarm and re-home it.