Saturday, August 6, 2011

Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang

Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang

Will the bees in this huge bee hive that STOMPer Psy spotted this morning (Aug 6) pose any danger to the residents of nearby flats in Bukit Panjang?

The STOMPer said:

"I saw this huge beehive at Bukit Panjang area on a Saturday morning.

"Buzzing bees..."
Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang
Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang
Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang
Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang
Trouble swarming ahead? 'Huge' bee hive sighted at Bukit Panjang

Related posts: HDB resident stung by bee from 'monster' hive in condo: Who should pay? (7th July 2011)
Yikes! There's a huge bee hive in a primary school in CCK (2nd July 2011)
Help! Swarms of buzzing bees make school in Pasir Ris their home (23rd June 2011)

Looks like it's yet another case of people being uneasy about the presence of giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) in urban areas. Given that this is a species that will aggressively defend its colonies and attack in large numbers, the threat is very real, but I wonder if this widespread fear of bees stems from a lack of understanding of the crucial role that these insects play in pollinating many of the ornamental plants which help make Singapore the Garden City.

Honey bee
Giant honeybee;
(Photo by kampang)