Steeped in history and shrouded in mystery, the Ancient Order of the Scottish Border Bee Reivers lives on to this day. Their legacy has spread around the world (known in the Americas as Bee Wranglers) Only those most dedicated to protecting the worlds Honey Bee population can become a member of The Order.
The head of The Order is selected from amongst a very narrow group of candidates - those who are Bee Whisperers.
Most notable is their ability to calm bees enough just with their words so that they can handle colonies without wearing the protective clothing that most bee keepers wouldn't leave home without.
Bees do just fine without us - they've evolved over 50+ million years. They are tiny but their activities have shaped the natural environment over this time - their activities have pollinated a select group of plants making those plants more dominant - it's hard to comprehend just how important they have been and still are.
They pollinate the plants that provide the food we eat ... and the plants we feed to the animals we rear - without them, the natural environment would suffer.
Bees face unprecidented challenges. I would say most have been caused by humans - from the over use of pesticides, clearing of the natural woodlands that they would normally inhabit, the creation of 'food deserts' (eg almond plantations which extend to hundreds of acres - they flower once a year and then there is no other food to be found for bees for the rest of the year - the net result is that commercial bee keepers transport thousands of colonies into these plantations to pollinate them for a few weeks before moving them to the next plantation). Climate change has interrupted food availability and led to excessive unseasonal weather patterns which have prevented the bees from leaving their nests to forage for food.
Then of course is the direct effect on bees by bee keepers themselves ( I have already mentioned large scale commercial bee keepers).
Bees are big business - from hobby bee keepers to commercial bee keepers, there is a demand for supplying bees - this demand has led to the transportation of bees around the world and the inevitable spread of diseases and parasites. Varroa in particular has had a massive detrimental effect - introduced to the UK in the 1980's, it is nealry impossible to find a colony that does not have a level of infection. And there are others such as the Asian Hornet and the small hive beetle which are spreading. As I said, the bees were doing fine without us.
I keep bees. It started as a hobby but is now more of a vocation. I am utterly fascinated by them. I do my best to look after the bees in my charge and I will do my best to remove a colony of bees that sets up home in a place inconvenient to you - I can remove live colonies from inaccessible places and transport the bees to a new location where they can set up home in th country without causing a nuisance.
If you have a honey bee nest / colony / swarm that you need removed, please call me before you call pest control.
- Hayden
Contact The Border Bee Reiver Bee Whisperer on :
Telephone : 07549166731
We can remove colonies from attics, walls etc. and have plenty of references regarding the effectiveness and manner we conduct ourselves. If you have a colony which concerns you and would like it removed, please get in touch.
If you find a bee swarm in peebles : who to call - 07549166731 - call the same number if you find one anywhere in the scottish borders, east lothian, midlothian, Edinburgh, West lothian south of scotland scottish borders dumfries and galloway innerleithen walkerburn darnick melrose gattonside galashiels tweedsmuir moffat innerleithen selkirk galashiels gala jedburgh hawick duns coldstream eyemouth st boswells wooler north of england kelso chirnside eyemouth bewick upon tweed lauder dalkeith gorebridge haddington dunbar north berwick penicuik west linton tranent pencaitland newcastleton lockerbie beatock langholm biggar carlops symington newtongrange mayfield bonyrigg roslin middleton juniper green drem gullane dirleton aberlady longniddry port seton cockburnspath oldhamstocks st abbs head reston coldingham ayton tweedmouth spittal scremerston norham duddo etal castle cornhill on tweed town yetholm kirk yetholm chatton eglingham keilder forest northumberland longtown carlisle gretna brampton eaglesfield macmerry musselburgh duddingston newcraighall lasswade liberton balerno corstorphine loanhead melville newbattle easterhouses mayfield pathhead ormiston elphineston satoun ayton reston whiteadder vogrie polton rosewell roslin damhead fairmilehead hillend paxton eddleston forth carluke carnwath calder lanark carstairs dolphinton blyth bridge romano bridge glentress portmore stow haggerston millfield smailholm tweedbank abbotsford clovenfords traquair st marys loch cardrona stobo dreva broughton thankerton lanarkshire yarrow ettrick ancrum denholm livingston murieston stoneyburn blackburn fauldhouse shotts harthill bathgate armadale torphicken avon bridge linlithgow uphall newbiggin kirknewton balerno currie gyle davidsons mains kirkliston queesferry winchburgh broxburn morningside newington danderhall portobello leith gilmerton milton bridge falkirk stirling grangemouth maddiston brightons laurieston hallglen stenhousemuir shieldhill slamannan newmains wishaw law newhouse dalserf crossford abington crawford thornhill sanquar douglas cumnock annan wigton aspatria brampton bowness
