Don't mess with the queen: What to do if you see a swarm of bees this spring

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The worker bee might be the emblem for the city of Manchester, but many would panic if they came across one in the street. However, a swarm of bees poses little danger if you know what to do.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), you can see honey bees from spring until late autumn, which usually means from April to October.

READ MORE: Incredible moment thousands of bees descend on BMW outside Manchester city centre office block

You might come across a swarm of honey bees lodged in trees, in chimneys, on roofs, wall spaces, on the floor and even on cars.

Sue Fink, a retired hairdresser from Oldham, owns two hives, containing more than 60,000 bees combined.

She describes herself as a 'gentle beekeeper' because selling honey is not her only motivation for keeping bees - she has a genuine passion for looking after the winged insects. She has become a swarm remover for people in Oldham, Rochdale and surrounding areas.

Sue told the M.E.N: "W hen you see swarms of bees attacking people in a film, that will not happen in real life. Because a swarm of bees is sworn to defend the queen bee, who is in the middle of that swarm. All they’re interested in is in protecting their queen. You could walk past the swarm, you could stand and watch them, or sit underneath them, and they would completely ignore you.

"Remember, worker bees are sworn to protect their queen. And if you disturb them with a stick and if the queen bee moves out, then the worker bees would be frenzied and they would sting you."

Explaining the science behind why bees swarm, Sue continued: " What happens sometimes is that the queen bee may be aging. She may be failing. "And the bees detect this- their number one drive is the