A SWARM of bees which invaded a Stratford woman’s house left her fearing her children’s safety.
The pregnant mum-of-two – who does not wish to be named – said she awoke at around 2am last weekend to find some 50 bees clustered in the bathroom.
And on checking her two children aged three years and five months, the 30 year-old discovered more trying to get in from the bedroom window.
She described her children’s fear as her eldest ran to look outside.
The woman – who lives in a housing association property – said: “He has never seen anything like this before so he was very scared. I was obviously worried for their safety because I don’t know if they are allergic, especially as there’s so many.”
She later discovered the bees had strayed from a neighbour’s chimney – a dangerous and difficult spot from which to remove them.
They have since left her home and settled nearby, but the woman said it has been difficult keeping the windows shut during the hot weather.
Stratford Pest Control manager Nick Hitchman said: “When a swarm of up to a 1000 land in a frenzy, some of them can get lost and stray.
“Removing them from a chimney not only means risking the height but when you disturb a bees home, they can attack you.
“Sometimes it’s safer to leave them. I’ve known people who have had bees in their chimney for years.”
The worried resident asked for help from her landlord, who could not help since the problem lay with the neighboring house.
Orbit Housing Association spokesman Kevin Hornsby, said: “The bees appear to originate within a private property and are therefore the responsibility of the home owner. We are not able to intervene as we do not own that property.
“Additionally, responsibility for pests lies with customers and forms part of their tenancy agreement.”
