Suburb terrorised by 'monsoon of bees' as one million swarm their homes for six months

Residents of a quiet suburb say they have been left trapped inside their homes after a swarm of one million "aggressive" descended on their neighbourhood.

Homeowners on the street in Warndon, , say they are attacked and stung by the huge population of bees each summer, making their lives a misery for up to six months a year. Some locals are too scared to even leave their , while others have found even inside is not safe, reporting "a monsoon" of bees flooding their living rooms down their chimneys. Many avoid their altogether out of fear of being stung by the angry swarm, which is said to come from a set of "completely unmanaged" bee hives.

The owner of one house on the road reportedly keeps as many as 21 hives in his garden, but is thought to have stopped managing them when he moved out several years ago and began letting the property.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Locals claim the issue has been going on for more than a decade, but has got progressively worse in the last couple of years, to the point they now keep their doors and windows closed.

One resident - who did not wish to be named - said the swarms of what is believed to be over a million bees was like "living in a horror film."

She added: "You're literally stuck in your homes on some days when they swarm in big numbers - it's just not worth the risk going out.

"Our doors and windows are shut tight, but they can still get down chimneys. It's like something from a horror film. Like the Candyman or something."

Another resident, who wished not to be named out of fear of repercussions, said: "I am on the alert all the time and I haven't sat in my garden since Covid.

"He probably first got the hives around 15 years ago but he was living there then.

"Since then he moved out and they have just been left completely unmanaged and the problem has got progressively worse.

"We're not bee haters but we can't live a normal life. I have been stung multiple times.

They added that the swarms "go on all summer, from May up until around October", and went on to describe one recent incident where they suddenly heard a swarm of bees gather above them.

The neighbour said: "I had to take the decision to stay in. Workmen have refused to come back here once they learn of the bees.

"A couple of weeks back I was stung on the leg particularly badly and had to go straight to the pharmacy, I've been told I might still need antibiotics.

"So they are aggressive bees. Some drop dead on our patios, so I don't know if they are diseased or what, but they certainly aren't looked after.

Another resident added: "When it happened to me, in two weeks a colony grew to a meter long and there were around 40,000 to 60,000 bees in my chimney.

"It was like torrential rain - a monsoon - entering my living room. It was horrible. We do not want to harm the bees but this is excessive and it is getting worse."

There is currently no law that regulates the number of hives a person can keep in a garden, even if it is in a heavily residential area.

It has led local councillor Sarah Murray and John Rudge, from Worcester City Council, to call for an urgent reassessment of the laws. Cllr Murray said: "This has gone well beyond a private matter. We have families, pets, and workers being stung, residents unable to open their windows, and basic home maintenance being disrupted.

"One resident was quoted £8,000 to have a swarm removed and contacted me asking for help. The problem has continued and I have had multiple complaints from multiple people about residents being stung in their gardens

"We're having this beautiful and they are having to keep their windows closed so the bees aren't coming into their houses. Workmen have been stung and when they have found out about unmanaged hives they have not returned to complete the work they have been hired to do.

"The person responsible for those bees is not managing them so we are getting these swarms and angry bees who are stinging people. We need to do something about it."

She claims Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) is now relooking at its laws and regulations, and is calling for a formal site inspection, a review under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the possible use of a Community Protection Notice.

A Worcester City Council spokesperson said: “Worcestershire Regulatory Services is investigating the complaint on behalf of the city council. It is not appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Martyn Cracknell, president of the Worcestershire Beekeepers Association, said bees swarm naturally as part of colony reproduction. When a colony reaches its population limit, the old queen bee leaves with a portion of her workers to establish a new hive in a different location.

However, this tends to be a stone's throw away from the former hive. Mr Cracknell said it is the beekeeper's responsibility to recognise this process and prevent a swarm by moving the Queen and her workers to a new hive.

The landlord of the property has been for contacted for comment.