18/08/2026
🐝 URGENT HONEYBEE RESCUE AT LONG SUTTON PRIMARY SCHOOL 🐝
RS Pest Control has been called in to assist with an important project being undertaken by Hampshire County Council during the school summer holidays.
As part of essential works at Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, all of the school windows are being replaced for safety reasons. During the project, a large established honeybee colony has been discovered living within the soffit of the building.
With contractors needing to continue the window replacement programme, the bees need to be removed — but rather than destroy the colony, the aim is to remove the honeybees safely and alive, including the queen where possible, so the colony can be relocated and given the best chance of survival. 🐝
There is also an important safety consideration. With the school reopening after the holidays, leaving an active colony within the building could present a risk to pupils, staff and contractors, particularly while the surrounding building work is taking place.
⏱️ The biggest challenge is time.
We were contacted about the situation only a week ago, and there is a very limited window during the school holidays to carry out the removal without disrupting the school or delaying the ongoing works.
This isn’t simply a case of treating an insect nest. Access needs to be carefully planned, the structure opened where necessary, the colony located and removed as intact as possible, and the area left suitable for the building works to continue.
Over the coming days we’ll be sharing more of this project and showing exactly what is involved in safely removing and relocating a honeybee colony from inside a school building.
A challenging job, a tight deadline and potentially thousands of honeybees to safely relocate — exactly the sort of project we enjoy getting involved with.
🐝 More updates to follow as the rescue gets underway.
The Bees & Honey Co.
Hampshire County Council
