Locals are trapped by 'monsoon' of bees as a MILLION swarm around their homes

Daily Mail​

19-05-2025

Residents have been left trapped in their homes after a 'monsoon' of a million bees invaded their street.
Homeowners along Corfe Avenue, in Warndon, Worcester, say swarms of bees invade their road and homes every summer - making their lives a misery.
Some claim they are regularly attacked and stung by the 'aggressive bees' that have left them scared to leave their homes and enjoy their gardens.
Others say they have experienced 'a monsoon' of bees flooding their living rooms down their chimneys.
The hoard allegedly comes from a landlord keeping 21 hives in the garden of his rented property.
Residents 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 felt 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.
'These swarms go on all summer, from May, up until around October - people are scared to leave their homes.
'My neighbour had them all her chimney. It was really distressing, the cheapest way was to have them killed and they were literally raining down her chimney.
'Sometimes you are left trapped inside, only last week I was heading out and heard this swarm before they appeared above me.
'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.
'He used to message me if he was coming to tend to his bees - basically saying don't go out into your garden today.'
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 councillors Sarah Murray and John Rudge, from Worcester City Council, to call for an urgent reassessment of the laws.
Councillor 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 weather 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.
She is calling for a formal site inspection, a review under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the possible use of a Community Protection Notice.
Worcestershire Regulatory Services said it is a private matter and the household's responsibility.
However, the council could use an abatement notice, a legal instruction issued by a local authority to address a statutory nuisance-to address the issue.
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.
But 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.