Thu 5 June 2025 at 10:35 am BST·1-min read
A colony of bees made an unlikely home inside a postbox in Great Plumstead (Image: David Brear)
Thousands of bees have been removed from a postbox after concerned locals heard bizarre buzzing sounds.
A colony of honey bees decided to set up camp in a red Royal Mail mailbox in Broad Lane, Great Plumstead, last week.
A continuous stream of bees entering and exiting through the postbox slot caused people in the village to contact postman Allan Hughes.
It took three hours for the colony to be safely removed from the letterbox (Image: David Brear) The Royal Mail then called upon local beekeeper David Brear to investigate the strange, makeshift hive.
Mr Brear said the bees being in a "solid steel" box presented an "unusual challenge".
"It’s not every day you find a swarm in a Royal Mail box," he added. "They had clearly settled in and even started building comb inside."
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Finding the bees inside a solid steel mailbox presented an "unusual challenge" for the beekeeper (Image: David Brear) It took three hours for Mr Brear to remove the insects before deciding to rehome them in a new hive at his apiary.
"They’re now in a proper hive where they’ll be happier, healthier and far less likely to chew through anyone’s gas bill," he added.
"We’re lucky to have them and even luckier to help them settle somewhere safe."