May 20, 2020 is World Bee Day, and international celebration of these valuable pollinators. As pest controllers we frequently get calls from people worried about bees around their homes. The truth is that there are many species of bee and most will not cause harm to you or your home, so there is rarely any need to try to remove a bee colony.

On very rare occasions honey bees may take up residence in a wall cavity, chimney, or roof space, and these may need to be removed. However most bees that you see are various species of Bumble Bees which live in small colonies in undisturbed locations such as under hedges. The other commonly spotted bee in Spring are Mason Bees (sometimes called Mortar Bees), which may be seen hovering around warm sunny walls. These bees have a very short life cycle and are extremely docile. Only females have a sting, and they will only sting you if you catch one and squeeze it.

All bees are vital pollinators, and it is essential that we do everything we can to protect and preserve these often misunderstood creatures.

http://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/