A Dundee woman is facing another “miserable summer” over her next-door neighbour’s bee hives.
In the past five years, honey bees have swarmed over Avril Anderson’s home in Ettrick Crescent, Dryburgh.
The 55-year-old said the problem has worsened as the hives have grown.
Avril said the built-up residential area is no place to keep the bees, which are stored in four main hives.
Since they were installed she says she has been stung, along with her daughter Louise and her chihuahuas Yoda and Leia.
Dryburgh bee swarm ‘sounds like a racing car’
She said: “The bee hives have grown over the years and there doesn’t appear there is much we can do about it.
“I’m all for helping bees but these hives should be in the countryside, not a busy residential area.
“When the bees swarm it sounds like a racing car starting up.
“The owner places a red flag up when he’s tending to them and we can’t go in our garden.
“We’ve been told: ‘Get back inside, it’s not safe’ but we should be allowed to go in our garden.
“Our dog Leia was stung last month and we’ve had to run back in the house on many an occasion.
“We will be facing another miserable summer. When they swarmed last summer there were thousands of them.”
Dundee neighbour ‘couldn’t go out in our garden’
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said he was also “concerned” by the size of the hive.
He said: “When we’ve had our grandchildren visiting it can be a nightmare when they’re swarming.
“One time they were all in a neighbouring hedge and it was actually moving because there were so many of them.
“There have been a few days we actually couldn’t go out in our garden.
“Something like this belongs in the countryside and it shouldn’t be allowed in a residential area.
“I’ve already checked into it with local councillors and there is literally nothing we can do.”
Council to take no further action
While it is not illegal to own a bee hive, Simon Cordingley from The Bee Centre, in Chorley, said beekeepers should be “socially responsible”.
He added: “Whilst this beekeeper has at least worked out a mechanism to let neighbours know that they are opening the hives, it should not be necessary to warn neighbours to stay inside.
“We do have customers with hives in similar urban environments but they work with bees that we breed and which are of a good temperament.
“Also they limit the number of bees/hives.”
The owner of the bees was approached for comment and told The Courier he did not wish to get in a “slanging match”.
He said he’d installed the hives to help the bee population and that they had been checked by the local authority after previous complaints.
Matthew Richardson, president of the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association, said: “Problems can be raised with the local council about ‘nuisance animals’.
“They will be able to visit the beekeeper and decide if their setup is unsafe or causing a nuisance, and require them to take action to mitigate any issues, or move the hives if necessary.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “Officers from our pest control and public health sections have attended the location following a complaint in which there was no further action required.”
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