BEE BLUNDER KILLS RARE INSECT
Keeper hits out at unnecessary deaths:
A COUNCIL has admitted that proper procedures were not followed after pest control staff killed over a thousand rare honey bees.
After receiving a call following concerns over a possible wasp infestation, Anglesey Council staff preceeded to exterminate an estimated 1,500 what turned out to be Welsh black honeybees.
According to the authority, it will now investigate why proper procedure was not followed after staff deemed the move to be necessary after being alerted by the elderly resident of their presence in a privately owned dustbin at Llanfechell, near Cemaes.
Even on the council’s own website, it advises that the most appropriate method of control for bees is the safe removal to a hive.
A bee keeper who lives less than two miles from Llanfechell, has expressed her outrage that efforts were not made to contact herself or other bee experts before exterminating such numbers of the rare breed.
Katie Hayward who runs the awardwinning Felin Honeybees at Cemlyn, said: “The Welsh Black Bee is, as you can probably tell from the name, is native to this country.
“Efforts are underway to try and increase their population so from a bee keeper’s point of view, its incredibly sad and very frustrating to see so many of them being unnecessarily killed.
“On more than one occasion I have spoken to pest control staff at the council and told them I’d be more than willing to help them.
“I know they’re very busy and short staffed, but I can’t emphasise enough how much of a disaster it is to see them killed like this.”
The Welsh Black Bee is almost completely black and is the last survivor of the original British bee, once thought to have been largely wiped out by virus a century ago.
Black bees are darker and boast thicker, longer hair and a larger body than the golden-coloured, southern European bees, which allows them to keep them warm in cooler climates and more adaptable to British weather.
20 years ago, a project was set-up to try and boost black bee numbers among hive owners.
In response, a spokesman for Anglesey Council said: “We work closely with local bee keepers in order to provide residents with options for dealing with honey bees.
“Normally, if an operator arrives on site and discovers that honey bees are present, they will advise the home owner to contact a bee keeper to assist.
“It appears that our usual procedure was not followed in this instance, and we will therefore be investigating the matter further.”