However, while your fears are justified, your first instinct shouldn’t be to kill the bees. Why not? Simply because these winged creatures play an integral role in balancing the ecosystem.
What you should do is call the activists at My Bee Saviour, who will be more than happy to help relocate the bee hive and its buzzing occupants, so you enjoy some peace of mind once again.
Set up originally as an initiative by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), the group re-established itself in 2019 as an NGO led by a group of volunteers.
“We mostly think of honey when we talk about bees, but their most important role is to facilitate the growth of plants through pollination,” said biologist Mohd Norowi Hamid, its chairperson.
Pollination occurs when bees transfer pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma, thus helping plants breed and produce food.
In fact, it is reported that bees pollinate more than one third of the crops that feed the world’s population. Needless to say, the annihilation of bees would have dire consequences in terms of global food security.
“Unfortunately, their population is in a decline worldwide, due to, among others, habitat destruction, pollution, diseases and the use of fertilisers,” said the 65-year-old.
According to Norowi, the activists at My Bee Saviour consist of Malaysians from all walks of life. “We also provide training to the fire and rescue department, as well as the civil defence force.”
Although some of the bees are relocated to a temporary sanctuary in MARDI, most are taken by the activists themselves for beekeeping purposes.
“We get about 20 calls a day from all over Malaysia, although most are from the Klang Valley,” he said, adding that there are less cases during the rainy season.
In some instances, the hives are located on high-rise buildings. “We usually work together with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) so we can use their cranes and other equipment.”
My Bee Saviour’s services are free of charge, although people usually give the volunteers a small sum of money as a token of appreciation.
Contrary to what some may think, most bees won’t sting unless provoked or threatened.
“However, it is important to differentiate them from hornets, which are more aggressive and can sting multiple times,” he cautioned. Honey bees, on the other hand, die after stinging a human.
So, why do bee swarms end up in people’s homes and buildings? One reason is that bee colonies make brief stopovers en route to looking for new homes.
“It could be that they’re tired and they need a place to rest temporarily,” he said, adding that you can tell if a swarm is temporary or if they’re in the process of building a permanent home.
Upon spotting a bee swarm, Norowi advised that it is best to alert My Bee Saviour instead of spraying pesticides on the hive or calling the exterminators.
Moving forward, My Bee Saviour hopes to spread more awareness, as well as to collaborate with more NGOs regarding the issue of bees and bee hives.
“We’d also like to work with people who have traditional knowledge on bees. Due to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, bee venom therapy can be used to treat arthritis,” he explained.
At the end of the day, he said it was important to remember that the decline of bees would result in the destruction of the delicate balance of our ecosystem.
“Plus, there are a lot of things that we can learn from them; although each bee has a specialised role, they come together for the benefit of their colony, while simultaneously facilitating life on Earth.”
You can contact My Bee Saviour at 019-6648081. For more information, check out their website, YouTube channel, as well as their Facebook and Instagram accounts.