Anglesey council wipe out 15,000 rare honeybees
Council pest controllers have been slammed after they wiped out more than 15,000 super-rare British honeybees.
Workers from Anglesey County Council were called out to a swarm of insects inside a compost bin outside a home by a worried resident.
But the pest killers failed to realise the insects were very rare Welsh black honeybees - the last survivor of the original British bee - and killed the entire colony.
Council pest controllers in Anglesey are being investigated after destroying a colony of 15,000 Welsh black bees, the last known survivor of the original British bee
It was feared the native species was totally wiped out by a virus 100 years ago, but it is now estimated they are present in less than one per cent of hives.
The authority is now investigating why proper procedures weren't followed, while local beekeepers called the killing in Llanfechell, Anglesey, a 'disaster'.
Katie Hayward, a beekeeper who lives nearby and runs the award-winning Felin Honeybees farm, said: 'It was a whole colony wiped out in five minutes.
'I was heartbroken when I saw it. it was absolutely devastating.
'The Welsh Black Bee is, as you can probably tell from the name, native to this country.
'Efforts are underway to try and increase their population so, from a bee keeper's point of view, its incredibly sad and very frustrating to see so many of them being unnecessarily killed.
'On more than one occasion I have spoken to pest control staff at the council and told them I'd be more than willing to help them.
'I know they're very busy and short staffed, but I can't emphasise enough how much of a disaster it is to see them killed like this.'
In Britain, southern European honeybees filled the void after the native honeybee was practically wiped out by a virus 100 years ago.
Staff reportedly mistook the bees for wasps and wiped out the colony - rather than contacting a beekeeper as council policy advises
The Welsh Black Bee is almost completely black and is the last known survivor of the original British bee.
Black bees are darker and have thicker, longer hair and a larger body than the golden-coloured, southern European bee, which allows them to keep warm the generally cooler and more changeable British climate.
The Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association began a project to conserve the last remaining black bees in 1997.
It is estimated of the 250,000 hives across the UK, less than one per cent are likely to house black bees.
An Isle of Anglesey County Council spokesperson said: 'We work closely with local bee keepers in order to provide resident s with options for dealing with honey bees.
'Normally, if an operator arrives on site and discovers that honey bees are present, they will advise the home owner to contact a bee keeper to assist.
'It appears that our usual procedure was not followed in this instance, and we will therefore be investigating the matter further.'Â
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