Great Ashfield honey bee colony in Suffolk to be rehomed

The large hive has been established in the wall and kitchen ceiling at Great Ashfield Village Hall in mid Suffolk, causing delays to much-needed renovations.

Simon Laidler, chair of the village hall, said the hive has been there for over a year, but became a real problem in the last six months. 

Great Ashfield Village Hall (Image: Google maps)

"They are actually inside the wall and ceiling, so we had no way to get to them," he said.

"Getting them out is a massively expensive job, or we would have to kill them, which no one in the village wanted to do." 

Luckily, local pest controller Rex Sydell has offered to safely remove the hive and rehome it with a beekeeper.

The service comes at a cost, however, which councillor Richard Winch has offered to pay for through his locality budget. 

"When the plan came together, it was a massive relief really," Mr Laidler said.

"There were a lot of people who had taken a close interest in this so we had to have a good outcome. We really didn't want to kill them.

"It's great, and it also means we can get on with the village hall improvements was well, because it was delaying things." 

Cllr Richard Winch, who has offered to cover the costs of the removal (Image: BMSDC)

Mr Winch, who represents the Walsham le Willows ward on Mid Suffolk District Council, said: "Sometimes we need to make alterations and improvements to community facilities but it’s important that we protect existing wildlife as far as possible.

"It’s good to know that the bees will be relocated to a safe new home where they can flourish.

"The work is going to cost several hundred pounds as the moving process involves specialist expertise and knowledge." 

Mr Laidler said the bees should be removed within the next week.