Twenty thousand honey bees were found in a shocked homeowner’s chimney.
The swarm was found in the structure’s twin flue duct.
The owners of the property rang beekeepers who had to climb onto the roof.
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Smoke was used to coax the colony out in Hythe, Kent.
“One of the owners spotted bees coming down the chimney and watched as a swarm flew directly to the chimney stack.
“And began moving in,” Simon Spratley, of Shepway Bees, told What’s The Jam.
“We acted quickly using smokers in both flues to gently evict them before they could settle and build a hive.
“There were around 15,000 to 20,000 honey bees.
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“Fortunately the swarm moved on.”
Swarming is a natural process.
Information from the British Beekeepers Association says it happens when a colony reproduces.
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Some of the bees leave the hive and find somewhere to hang in a cluster until the scout bees decide on their new home.
Most swarms occur on warm sunny days from May to the end of July usually between 11am to 4pm.
Often there is a peak on a fine day after poor weather when temperatures approach the high teens.
A real honey bee swarm can be extremely dramatic involving many thousands of bees in a large noisy cloud.
But they normally settle into a cluster within 15 minutes.
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