City

Who to call when you find bees in your home in Singapore

P1170092 copyMost certainly not pest control! We have a shrinking population of native bees in Singapore and we need to protect them. While they might seem scary in a big swarm, don’t let it intimidate you and your family members, because they will not sting anyone unless they feel threatened. They are important pollinators in Singapore and it breaks my heart each time I hear about pest control companies killing bees.

There is a humane, constructive, and gratifying solution to this. Get in touch with Thomas Lim from Edible Gardens at thomas@ediblegardencity.com or 9632 8448, he’s the beekeeper extraordinaire at edible landscaping consultancy, Edible Gardens. He is able to re-home bees to apiaries like the one I am holding below.

Unfortunately for me, termites took over my apiary, and a pest control company had to treat the wood for me (my area has historically been termite territory, Rentokil’s van is on my street very often, and I wonder why they don’t co-ordinate home visits so they can visit the whole street on the same day). As bees are very fussy when it comes to sanitation, it’s unlikely for them to move in to spaces which have been inhabited by other insects, they also stay away from chemicals.

There’s a lot to learn about bees and I hope to try some of Edible Gardens’ city honey soon. I’ve heard from the folks at Edible Gardens that the bees are not as productive as bees in colder climates because they don’t have to store food for winter. More on this topic soon!

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5 Comments

  • Colin Kee August 4, 2014 at 8:18 am

    Thank you. Yes without bees there is no honey, berries or fruits.

  • Nicole August 4, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    Thank you for this info! I’ve been wondering what to do about the seasonal bee situation at my place

    • Olivia August 5, 2014 at 10:57 pm

      Thank you for caring for the bees, Nicole 🙂

  • Swadhe August 24, 2014 at 2:57 am

    Hey just saw your blog, I am a singaporean and I live with my bee keeper partner in Spain…I am happy to read about bees in Singapore, that they are still around 🙂 and thanks for your updates Olivia…
    Unfortunately this year we lost 80% of the bees , they just disappeared, a shock to nature and us…

    • Olivia September 1, 2014 at 10:41 pm

      Hi Swadhe, sorry to hear about your bees, I hope the colonies are healthy and bounce back. I hope to have my own in the near future, I’m thinking of making mead! 🙂

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