Is there a King bee?

This is a subject I never thought I would have to write about, but it’s become a big part of our lives, in fact it has taken over our lives. We moved into our forever home 19 months ago — a charming, slightly quirky cottage full of character. It suits us perfectly. The two girls sleep upstairs, while my husband, my son, and I sleep downstairs. The layout actually works really well for us. The girls can stay up late without disturbing my son, and when he wakes early, the house stays peaceful for them.

Not long after moving in, my daughter — 14 at the time — was convinced her room was haunted. She called her ghost Ben and insisted she could hear strange noises every night. Her reaction was so intense that I started to wonder myself. But after some investigation, we discovered it wasn’t a ghost at all — it was bees. Two large honeybee colonies had made their home in the roof cavity on either side of the dormer.

We consulted a pest control company who told us they were honeybees. They said whilst we could kill them it was frowned upon and the best idea was to remove them humanely. They passed us on some numbers. We rang around lots of people and got quotes and picked the one we felt was best. It was going to cost a lot of money but these were professionals who did this for a living so it was for the best. In April 2024 we had scaffolding erected and the bees (approx 50000 each side) were removed, along with 50kg of honey each colony. That’s a lot of honey. To say it was one of the fascinating things I have ever been involved in would be an understatement. The bee man who came to remove them was lovely, he gave us all bee suits and let us go up and have a look. Yes this is me dressed in a bee suit!!!!

And here is a video of that removal…..

It took 2 whole very long days but eventually the bees were removed, we got the roof fixed and we slept easy after that knowing we had sorted them out and they were off to live a better life somewhere in another place in another town, far far away.

A few weeks later my husband had taken me away for my birthday to a spa day. It was lovely and just what I needed. You know that my life had gotten harder and harder over the last year and this was the perfect present for me. We came home and I was so relaxed. As we drove up the drive we could see a big black cloud of something, I had no idea what it was and as we drove through it we realised it was bees, a massive huge swarm of bees. I had never seen anything like it. We made a run for it out of the car and made it into the house. This is the video I took from inside the house……

And just like that the bees were back. It felt unbelievable. We had paid so much, done everything right. But apparently, the house was just… attractive to bees. Over the next few weeks, multiple beekeepers visited. No one had a clear solution. And while we were consumed by stress and confusion, my son barely registered it. I thought the drama would pique his curiosity, but he wasn’t especially interested. Not then.

To be honest, dealing with bees wasn’t part of the plan. We already had so much going on — parenting, school challenges, emotional ups and downs, work, family life. Every day felt full. The bee problem just added another layer to an already overstuffed life. We were tired. We were managing. And now… we were also trying to manage bees.

As winter approached, we climbed onto the roof and sealed every possible hole. We sprayed white vinegar everywhere (a tip we’d picked up) and hoped the cold would do the rest. Slowly, the buzzing stopped.

By spring, though, we were on high alert again. Every time we saw a bee, my husband was back up the ladder. I had enough going on — school, work, the daily chaos — so he took this one for the team. And it seemed to be working. Until we came home one day to find a bedroom full of dead bees. We smoked them out, with a smoke bomb, as grim as that sounds. It felt harsh, but after everything, we were desperate.

And oddly — this was the moment my son became completely captivated. As soon as the smoke bomb came out he loved it.

Suddenly, it was all about the bees.

“Are the bees back?”
“Have you caught the queen bee?”

“Should we get a hive”

And most importantly in his head….

“Is there a King Bee?”

Because if there is a queen bee there must be a king bee. Just so we all know there isn’t a king bee, the queen bee is the one in charge…a bit like our house!!!

He was asking questions constantly. He was scanning the walls for scout bees, checking the corners of the house before school. He was just as alert as we were now — maybe even more so.

There was something quite beautiful about his fascination. He knew the drill now: if we saw scout bees, the queen wouldn’t be far behind.

One Friday I went out to the shops, it was a lovely day and when I came back there was numerous bees flying around the house. This meant the scout bees were out. We felt sure this pack of bees was Scout bees and they were off to tell the queen that this house was the house so I alerted my husband and he went up on the roof to check things and seal any new holes. He did this and went on his way. As it was a lovely day I decided to sit in the garden. Next minute another big swarm of bees appear, obviously the queen was here and ready to enter her new home. Here is this swarm….

The only problem was they couldn’t get in…..and so they attached to the side of the house for the night. They eventually settled down and just remained there all night. The next day we went out and they were there but when we came back they were gone. We felt sure they had left to find somewhere else. We were over the moon with this. Until a few days later when there was yet another swarm……here is the next swarm which once again settled on the side of the house. At the time of writing this they are still there.

My son watches them every day now.

He’s on bee patrol.
He has theories.
He wants answers.
He wants to catch the queen bee.

The bees have become more than just an inconvenience — they’re part of our home’s story now. And, unexpectedly, they’ve become part of my son’s story too.

We didn’t have time or energy for bees. Life already felt full — full of challenges, full of appointments, full of things that needed our attention. The bees weren’t part of the plan. But they came anyway. And while we were busy trying to keep everything else afloat, they managed to sneak into our lives — and into my son’s focus. He’s watching. He’s questioning. And for now, the bees are just… part of our every day.