A car owner got a shock after they discovered a huge swarm of bees had landed on their back window. The scary-looking swarm descended on a Toyota Yaris in Twynyrodyn in Merthyr Tydfil on Saturday morning (May 21) with hundreds of bees covering the back of the car.
After getting over the initial surprise the owner of the Toyota soon alerted local beekeepers to the swarm. After attending the scene, the insects were removed by the apiarists and placed into hives to keep them safe.
We are now in swarm season for honey bees, which generally occurs between spring and early summer and is most prevalent in the months of May, June and July. These swarms can form anywhere, from cars to roofs, walls, floors, trees and chimneys.
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Although the sight of thousands of bees flying around can unsettle people, they are normally just looking for a new home, and are not intent on attacking or stinging anyone. They swarm because they are looking for somewhere to form a new colony, with each swarm containing a queen bee and thousands of worker bees who protect her.
Lynne Dockerty's father Nigel Morgan helped remove the bees from the back of the car, having been a beekeeper for over 20 years. She said while she could imagine the sight of such a big swarm could be frightening to some people, there is no reason to panic.
"My father and his friend Gareth have been beekeepers for many years now, they're two of the many local beekeepers around here," Lynne explained. "So they go out and collect the bees in the swarm, remove them and put them into a hive to keep them safe, which is really important. We get called out to all sorts, some people have them in their attic, we had one in a palm tree the other day."
"The honeybees are just following the queen, so it's just a case of removing the queen and all the rest of them follow," she added. "It's quite a simple process, but we offer to collect these swarms as a free service. We don't charge for anything, we do it because we care about the environment and care about the bees."
One in four people in the UK are thought to be scared of bees. However, having kept the buzzing insects in her garden for years, Lynne isn't bothered, while Nigel is said to "absolutely love" his hobby. But what should those who are scared do if they come across a swarm?
"Don't panic, don't try to remove them yourself," she said. "If you interfere with them, then they probably will sting you. You've got to call someone to help remove the queen, so contact beekeepers in your local area. You can go through your local authority or a lot of people usually get in touch with us via social media, as was the case with the swam in Twynyrodyn this weekend."
Honeybee swarms have been spotted all over Wales in recent years, from pelican crossings to Cardiff bars. Last week, a couple in Abercynon were left "in complete awe" after witnessing a swarm of bees flying out of a nearby church.
Carl Gwyn Matthews, alongside his partner Khloe Louise Jones, captured the extraordinary scene on film and said that the insects fly over their garden every summer. "The nest is located in one of the vents of the church and is close to our back garden," said Carl. "It happens every year, but this is by far the biggest amount I have seen.
"We've been stung once or twice over the years, but nothing major - they'll only do it if they feel endangered. While I was filming the footage, the noise was overwhelming, I can't explain it any other way - it was mad. It really shows the extent of mother nature and how incredible it can be."
Another beekeeper and 'swarm remover' Sue Fink, recently told the Manchester Evening News about what to do when you encounter a swarm. Echoing Lynne's advice, she said: ""When you see swarms of bees attacking people in a film, that will not happen in real life.
"Because a swarm of bees is sworn to defend the queen bee, who is in the middle of that swarm. All they’re interested in is in protecting their queen. You could walk past the swarm, you could stand and watch them, or sit underneath them, and they would completely ignore you.
"Remember, worker bees are sworn to protect their queen. And if you disturb them with a stick and if the queen bee moves out, then the worker bees would be frenzied and they would sting you."
