There was no sting in the tail for 30,000 honey bees that made their temporary home on the site of the major railway upgrade scheme in the centre of Manchester.
The swarm decided compound six near Trinity Way was the perfect place to build their honey haven but as the building work on the Ordsall Chord is reaching its final stages and the site is being cleaned up, there were concerns the hive would be destroyed.
The team, which involves an alliance of Network Rail, Skanka Bam, Siemens, Amey Sersa and other contractors, were in contact with a registered bee keeper in Warrington and he offered to safely remove them.
First, the honeycomb was placed into frames and stored so the bees would follow before the hive was removed. They are now enjoying a new life in hives in the Warrington area.
Environment manager Samantha Smith from Skanska Bam said: “There was a real buzz in the air when the team discovered our new house mates but, for their own safety, they couldn’t stay.
“One in three mouthfuls of the food we eat is dependent on pollination at a time when the honey bee population is facing a crisis so it was really important we found them a new home.
“The Ordsall Chord is a hive of activity ahead of opening to trains in December but it was great we could find the bees a new home and they are now enjoying a new life in Warrington.”
The swarm decided compound six near Trinity Way was the perfect place to build their honey haven but as the building work on the Ordsall Chord is reaching its final stages and the site is being cleaned up, there were concerns the hive would be destroyed.
The team, which involves an alliance of Network Rail, Skanka Bam, Siemens, Amey Sersa and other contractors, were in contact with a registered bee keeper in Warrington and he offered to safely remove them.
First, the honeycomb was placed into frames and stored so the bees would follow before the hive was removed. They are now enjoying a new life in hives in the Warrington area.
Environment manager Samantha Smith from Skanska Bam said: “There was a real buzz in the air when the team discovered our new house mates but, for their own safety, they couldn’t stay.
“One in three mouthfuls of the food we eat is dependent on pollination at a time when the honey bee population is facing a crisis so it was really important we found them a new home.
“The Ordsall Chord is a hive of activity ahead of opening to trains in December but it was great we could find the bees a new home and they are now enjoying a new life in Warrington.”
