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  • "
    Mudlark1 wrote:
    Blind Haze wrote: I think this story has the most nonsensical headline I've ever seen. And I've been known to browse through a copy of The Sun.
    I disagree it's a very important story, the decline in bee numbers has had a major affect on business's, Orchard growers are reliant on bees to polynate their crops, with such a massive decline in bee numbers its already having a damaging effect on them, to kill a colony when they could s easily have been relocated is just mindless. There are many Bee gatherers that would actually have moved the bees on for free saving the gas company money in fact.
    What are you disagreeing with? I've only made reference to the headline."
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Honey, they killed my gas bees

8:10am Monday 16th April 2012 in Castle Point By JACQUELINE McMILLAN

Tony Norton – upset contractors have killed the bees in his gas meter Tony Norton – upset contractors have killed the bees in his gas meter

THOUSANDS of honey bees nesting in a gas meter were killed by engineers, despite pleas from the home owner to save them.

Tony Norton, 65 of Metz Avenue, Canvey, said his ‘gas bees’ had been there for almost two years, and had started to create honeycombs and nectar.

He warned inspectors for Siemens Energy Services and was assured they would be moved before any work would be carried out.

Just a few hours later, exterminators showed up at his home and killed the entire colony.

It comes just days after Friends of the Earth launched a campaign urging the Government to take urgent action to help put a stop to the decline of bees in the UK.

Mr Norton said: “I’m absolutely disgusted by what’s happened. The bees were not doing any harm to anyone. I know they have to look at the meter, but I was assured the bees would be relocated before they would start anything.

“They’ve just decided to take the cheaper and faster option and kill them all off. They’ve treated them like wasps when the fact is we can’t live without them.

“We may not be able to save these bees, but hopefully they will stop doing this and we can save bees from being killed in the future.”

Recent statistics revealed bee numbers in the UK have fallen by as much as 50 per cent in the last 25 years due to the increased use of common crop pesticides.

A spokesman from Siemens said: “We take the safety of employees and of the general public very seriously.

“This is an unusual place for bees to be nesting and we are looking into the particular circumstances of this incident.”

For more information on the Friends of the Earth campaign, visit www.foe.co.uk

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