Outrage as bees on Southend bike are killed with fly spray

Shoppers warily eyed the bees, on a red cycle outside the Victoria Circus HSBC bank branch and it is thought Southend Council’s environmental health department had been called to move them safely.

However it appears the bees were killed by a young woman who turned up at the scene with two cans of fly spray.

Ray Bronski, 47, of Genesta Road, Westcliff, saw it happen.

He said: “This young girl, all dressed in black, turned up with two cans of fly spray and just sprayed the bees.

“They swarmed up in the air, before falling back down to the ground.

“She sprayed them a few more times and they were then just blown across the street, dead and dying, which was very sad.

“A few of us had been watching them in order to keep people away from them, but there were people saying they were going to set light to them.

“One guy tried to shake the bike and another spat on them. I just thought ‘who are these idiots?’

“We were hoping the council would do something because telephone calls were made, but no one showed up.”

Street ranger Rebecca Venn, 34, was informed about the swarm by police at 2.30pm on Monday and it is believed she contacted the council to remove them.

It is thought the bees had broken away from the hive at Southend Museum on Victoria Avenue.

The bees swarming on the bike

Lucy Summers, 46, of Swanage Road, Southend, was eating in nearby Pizza Express and said she was so upset by the grim spectacle she was put off her food.

She added: “I didn’t know what to do. Looking back, I wish I had taken the cans off the person, but you worry about getting done for assault for things like that these days.

“I was so upset, I couldn’t eat my dinner.

“I’m a nature lover and try to do what I can for the environment.

I just think this was a disgusting thing to do.”

A council spokesman said: “We deplore this. While the council does not remove bees, a member of our environmental care team visited the swarm after calls from the public.

“We understand a local beekeeper did attend the site, so we think that the majority of the swarm was boxed and taken away and those killed were ones that escaped and returned. However we cannot confirm that.”

ANY surviving bees from the fly spray attack could wipe out whole hives of bees, a Leigh beekeeper has warned.

Ann Cushion was called to gather two swarms of bees on Victoria Avenue after they escaped from a hive at Southend Museum in April last year.

She said the unlicensed extermination of bees was not only unnecessary, but also dangerous to the species.

She explained: “The worst possible thing youcan do is to start spraying chemicals about, because bees are notorious thieves and will often steal honey from other hives if they can.

“If any bees from the attack survived and tried it, it could bring that nasty chemical into the hive. I know of at least one case a few years ago when just that happened.

“Someone had bees in their chimney, so the had to be exterminated, but the exterminator didn’t seal the chimney. Other bees went in and started stealing the honey from the combs and it killed three other colonies as a result.”

She said bees were not generally dangerous when swarming, as they gorged on honey before leaving the hive, making them docile and “happy”.

Anyone who comes across a swarm can contact a local beekeeper to safely collect it by visiting bbka.org.uk and clicking on the “Swarms–need help?” link on the home page.