Bees are Not Pests

Not All Bees Sting

Singapore has about 200 bee species but not all of them sting!

In fact, the stingless bee species actually don't even have stingers - like the Smooth-Headed Stingless Bee we have in Singapore.

Among the stinging bee species here, the most common one is the Asian Honeybee. Other stinging bee species are the Carpenter Bee, Leafcutter Bee and the stunning Himalayan Cloak-and-Dagger Bee.

Because they sting, many people think of bees as dangerous. The reality is bees are peaceful creatures. They only attack when they feel threatened or if their hives are disturbed - which is a natural response!

Bees Can Be Relocated

When you see a huge bunch of bees, don’t panic. 

The bees are actually swarming and very unlikely to attack.

Swarming happens when the bee colony becomes too large. The Queen Bee and a large group of Worker Bees will leave the hive to find a new location, leaving the rest to swarm while waiting.

That is why the bees “disappear” after a few days – they’ve gone off to their new home!

How We Relocate Bees

Because we want to do it right away, ORIGIN partnered with Singapore’s favorite bee farmer, Mr. John Chong, to teach and train our team. On the beautiful and fun BEE AMAZED GARDEN, we learned about various bee species, their biology, and most importantly, how to safely bring bees to their new home.

ORIGIN is the first pest management company in Singapore to offer the option of relocating bees. Although bees are not pests, there are many considerations and much wider implications to whether or not stray bee swarms or hives should be saved or not. Some of these include: is the swarm/hive in a precarious position, Will the bees swarm away if left alone for a few days, are the bees a native species, will relocating them in a single location upset the ecosystem, and so on. A team of trained technicians will be assessing the environment of the hives, identifying the species of the bees, and choosing the right approach for the relocation. Before the commencement of works, barricades and signages will be placed to alert the surrounding general public, ensuring their safety. Bees, together with the hive, will be relocated into an ORIGIN customized box, sealed up, and to be transported to appointed bee farms to continue with their pollination work freely.

BEE RELOCATION TO BEE FARMS

Beehives will be relocated to local bee farms to promote conservation and sustainability in our ecosystem. The bee farms are dedicated to the preservation of the urban bee population as well as to the development of home grown Singapore Honey, creating our own unique taste Through the development of these bee farms, educational programs, workshops, family activities, environmental talks, and basic beekeeping lessons can be made available to the general public, to drive home the importance of conserving our local bees.

WHY BEEHIVES AND BEES MATTER IN SINGAPORE?

Do bees bee-long with us? Is exterminating them the only way? Origin is saving the world 1 beehive at a time. Bees are pollinators, not pests! We are so happy that more people in Singapore are starting to care for bees and asking us to relocate bees instead of killing them. Did you know that bees visit up to 3000 flowers a day? And all we remember about them is that they sting! 5 Little-Known Facts about Bees in Singapore.

“Along our journey, we were fortunate to have Mothership join us to share how we do bee relocation to Singapore’s beloved bee farm.”

BEE AMAZED GARDEN

Did you know that a bee visits up to 3000 flowers a day?

And yet all we remember about them is their sting!

After more than 30 years with MOE as an educator in Singapore, when John discovered his love for bees, he designed BEE AMAZED Garden to be a lovely home for bees and a fun place for anyone who wants to learn about bees!

BEE AMAZED Garden offers the full spectrum:
educational programmes, honey tasting, environmental talks, corporate workshops and even basic beekeeping lessons!

Check out this great feature on John by ASIAONE