Bees swarming near Lancer Court, Wellington

The bees were caught on camera on their travels on June 14 near the entrance to Lancer Court. 

Honeybees are known to swarm when their numbers get too great for their hive. 

A proportion of the worker bees will leave their hive alongside the queen bee in a search for a more suitable location. 

While they are searching, however, they may end up resting on a branch, fence or something similar as the queen is not the strongest flyer. Scout bees are sent out to search while the remaining bees rest up. 

If you spot a swarm, members of the Somerset Beekeepers Association will do their best to collect the bees. 

Gary Todd, who discovered the swarm, said: "It’s was incredible.

"I got as close as I could as I knew they wouldn’t hurt me as they were too busy with the Queen."

The photos caught by Gary Todd from Wellington. 

A spokesman said: "Most beekeepers will do their best to help out when someone is troubled by a swarm of honeybees. A swarm is very often attracted to the vicinity of other bees, so quite often they arrive in a beekeeper’s garden, but bees are notorious for not reading the books, so sometimes the swarm arrives in a garden where they are not so welcome. 

"Swarming is the honeybee’s natural means of reproduction. One colony will split into two, three, or sometimes more. 

"​Each swarm that emerges, be it from a beekeeper’s hive, or from a hollow tree in the wild, will usually form a cluster in a tree or a shrub.

"This is a transitional stage, where the bees can regroup prior to moving off to a new home. This transitional stage can take anything from a few minutes, to several hours.

"There is a belief among beekeepers, that the time of a swarm’s departure can be pinpointed accurately to ten minutes before the beekeeper arrives to take them.

"There is a limit however, to the beekeeper’s capabilities. If the swarm is hanging in a cluster in the garden, then a beekeeper can remove them without a great deal of difficulty, but if they have entered a building, it is then usually beyond the scope of most beekeepers.

"Specialist equipment is often required, such as ladders and/or scaffolding, and then there is the risk of damage to property, and the associated insurance implications.

"This then becomes a task for the local Environmental Health officer."

For more information visit somersetbeekeepers.org.uk.