Holiday Resort Unity
A Heartwarming Story from Shire Pest Solutions: Supporting Unity’s Bees
Welcome back to Shire Pest Solutions. This time, we bring you a more uplifting story, though it begins with an unfortunate event. Stay with us until the end, as this tale has not one, but two happy outcomes.
The Story
Around late July or early August, while scrolling through Facebook and responding to customer recommendations, we stumbled upon a post from a holiday park in Somerset called Unity—a place our team visits regularly with our families. Unity is renowned for its award-winning efforts in promoting nature, especially its conservation work for bees and other beneficial insects.
However, this particular post was far from cheerful. It read:
Reward:
Beehives vandalised, bees lost or destroyed. A reward is offered for any information leading to the prosecution of the perpetrator.
Though I’m paraphrasing, the actual post, including images, can be viewed here [link to post].
As beekeepers ourselves and a nature-loving pest control company, this post struck a deep chord with us. Seeing such a tragedy occur at a place that works so hard for nature moved us to act. We immediately left a comment offering our help:
“I see your beehives have been damaged. If your equipment is still intact, I would be happy to donate a swarm and personally deliver it to you.”
Unity’s team reached out to us almost immediately to confirm whether we were serious and to explore how we could assist. Naturally, we were committed to helping. After a productive exchange, we began planning the logistics of our donation.
We then contacted our head beekeeper, Filipe, to discuss what we could offer. Instead of providing one of this year’s swarms, we decided to donate a strong, proven colony with a mated queen to give Unity’s beehives the best chance of thriving.
Introducing Filipe
For a bit of background, Filipe is the man behind the innovative “upstairs/downstairs intrance system,” which helps bees defend against pests and robbing by other bees. Filipe is not only a valued mentor but has also become a key member of the Shire Pest Solutions family. As a veteran beekeeper, Filipe has been keeping bees since the age of six, across three continents. His expertise is unparalleled, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him lead our beekeeping efforts.
Bank Holiday Weekend: Delivering the Colony
Fast forward to the August bank holiday weekend. With our workload under control, we decided to combine the task with a working holiday. We packed up our vehicle early on Friday morning and set off, arriving two to three hours later, depending on the traffic.
At Unity, we met Mick, the site’s beekeeper, with a surprise in tow: we had brought a full colony of approximately 25,000 bees, along with stores of food to ensure their survival through the winter. Typically, a lost swarm can range anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand bees, but we wanted to provide them with a strong replacement colony.
During our initial conversations, we learned that Unity had another empty hive and plans for expanding their bee operations in the future. Preparing for the future with swarm control and hive splitting is always a good idea, and they were already thinking ahead.
The Second Colony
With that extra hive waiting, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to do more. So, we brought them a second colony—this one with around 15,000 bees and food stores to help them settle in.
The joy of giving and receiving was mutual. We’re not sure who felt better—us, for being able to help, or them, for receiving the bees. Either way, it was a truly heartwarming experience.
An Unexpected Call
As we were enjoying the weekend at Holiday Resort Unity, I received an unexpected phone call: a swarm had landed on a car within the holiday park, and they asked if I could assist. Naturally, I grabbed my gear and headed over to help. Though I didn’t get a picture straight away, the one I did manage to take later captures some of the bees in action.
Conclusion
What started as a distressing event turned into a story of hope and collaboration. We were able to support Unity in rebuilding their bee colonies, while also strengthening the bond between nature and community. We look forward to seeing how their bee conservation efforts continue to grow, and we’re proud to have played a small part in it.
If you ever need expert advice or assistance with beekeeping or any pest control issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Shire Pest Solutions.