Colony of bees rescued after moving into the offices of The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth

Colony of bees rescued from the roof space of The Donkey Sanctuary's main office (Image: Simon Horn)

A colony of honey bees which moved into The Donkey Sanctuary’s main offices has been safely moved to a new home, thanks to a member of staff who is also a beekeeper.

Website manager Jenifer Tucker’s expertise enabled her to lure the bees out of the roof space at Slade House, without the need to call in a pest controller.

She set up a bait hive nearby and within minutes, bees had begun taking an interest. By mid-afternoon they had all left the roof space, and the colony was later transferred to a larger beehive and moved away from the sanctuary.

Jenifer said: “It was amazing to watch them leave the building and head to the bait hive. At no time was anyone in any danger as honey bees in swarming mode are actually very calm and placid, although as a responsible beekeeper I still put on my beesuit when collecting swarms.”

Bees gather outside The Donkey Sanctuary's main office after being safely lured out of the roof space (Image: Simon Horn)

The sanctuary already keeps its own colony of bees, which Jenifer looks after.

Colony of bees rescued from the roof space of The Donkey Sanctuary's main office (Image: Simon Horn)