A beekeeper was left buzzing after she swooped in to save a huge colony of furious bees.
Caroline Taverner rushed to the rescue after the insects launched a stinging attack on roofers who accidentally uncovered their hidden home.
The giant honeycombed hive was discovered wedged between beams under some roof tiles, leaving the workers in a panic as thousands of bees burst out.
READ MORE: Amazon driver gets shock after warning light comes on in van…and he finds fox stuck under bonnet
- Advertisement -
Caroline, who runs Exe Valley Honey, said the frantic call-out was unusual for the month of November.
But she was determined to give the displaced insects the best possible chance of surviving winter.
After safely removing the colony, the queen and their honey-filled comb, she rehomed them in a fresh hive.
The leftover beeswax will be turned into candles.
The dramatic rescue took place in the picturesque village of Thorverton, near Exeter, Devon, as reported by What’s The Jam.
- Advertisement -
Caroline said: “Between batches of handmade goodies for this year’s Christmas markets and craft fairs, I got an unexpected call.
“A team of roofers had uncovered a surprise under some old roof tiles – a whole colony of bees.
“So I swapped my craft apron for my bee suit and headed out.
- Advertisement -
“The bees were calm and cooperative, mostly.
“And before long, I had them safely rehomed in a new hive where they can settle in for winter.
“I even lent the roofers a couple of beesuits so they could finish getting the roof covered before the rain came in.
“I don’t normally do removals.
“I only stepped in this time because the homeowners couldn’t find anyone else to help, and it had become urgent due to the majority of the roof having already been removed.
“The roofers had already stripped the tiles from most of the roof.
“The bees were in the last patch they were removing.
“They needed to get a tarpaulin down before the rain came in that evening, so in fact, time was of the essence.
“They were being stung by the bees, which had been disturbed – they didn’t know they were there until they removed the tiles above their nest.
“It was a huge building, and the roof needed to be covered to prevent damage to the residents’ properties from water ingress.
“The roofers stopped work when they lifted the first tile with bees under it.
“I removed the rest of the tiles to expose the nest, then sawed through the roof battens to retrieve the bees and comb safely.
“It’s not the ideal time of year to be removing bees because of the weather and the bees’ life cycle.
“There were probably approximately 20,000 bees, which is standard for an overwintering bee colony.
“At this time of year, they can’t successfully make a new queen from young larvae, as there are no drones left for her to mate with.
“But I’m expecting the queen to be in the hive as the flying bees were reorientating to the box rather than returning to the roof space.
“It’s not every day you get to go from making candles and soaps to working on a rooftop with such an incredible view.
“I felt grateful for a day like that – there was a mix of creativity, nature, and a little adventure.”
READ MORE: Designer handbag that looks like mound of spaghetti goes on sale for £2,440
