A woman had a shock on Jan. 29, 2024, when she discovered that a swarm of bees had flown into her HDB flat at Block 17 Cantonment Close and gathered on a clothes drying rack.

The woman, surnamed Ye (transliteration from Mandarin), posted about the incident on a Facebook group, saying she was unsure about what to do and asking for help regarding the relevant agency she should contact.

Discovered the swarm a day after returning from Malaysia

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min), Ye said she headed to Malaysia on Jan. 26 and returned to Singapore on Jan. 28.

She did not notice the condition of the drying rack until she woke up on Jan. 29.

Ye added that she initially thought the swarm was a rag until she took a closer look.

She also said that as no one was in the flat over the weekend, and the living room windows were left open, no one noticed the bees flying in.

Sought help from the town council

In response to her Facebook post, some netizens suggested in the comment section that she call the town council, firefighters or a beekeeper.

Ye subsequently replied in the comments that she called the town council, which told her they would send someone to check it out.

She also said she would wait to see what the person sent by the town council had to say as she had heard that calling pest control is expensive.

Town council sent pest control

In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson for Tanjong Pagar Town Council said they had received a call for help from the homeowner about a beehive found at the laundry rack inside their house at 10:35am.

They added that they sent their Pest Control operator to remove the beehive, and it was completely removed by 12:30pm the same day.

"If any of our residents encountered bees within the estate, please contact the Town Council and we will assist with the removal of the hives."

Why do bees swarm like that?

The bees surrounding the drying rack could have been in transit to a new location as part of a natural process known as swarming.

During this period, a large group of bees will leave their hive to scout for locations suitable for establishing a new colony.

The swarm starts when a handful of male drone bees and countless female worker bees form around the queen bee temporarily. The swarm can range from several hundred to a few thousand bees that follow the queen to keep her safe.

Depending on the weather and the time it takes for the scouting bees to find a new location for a hive, clusters can exist for as little as an hour to several days.

The swarming bees will depart once a suitable location has been identified.

When swarming, bees are the least aggressive and less likely to sting as they are too preoccupied with their relocation.

What to do around bees?

If you see a hive in the park, keep your distance to refrain from provoking the bees and inform the National Parks Board (NParks) of the hive by calling their hotline at 1800-471-7300.

If you encounter a swarm at home, remain calm and do not attempt to remove the cluster.

Should you wish to remove the cluster, Anbarasi Boopal, the Co-CEO (Advocacy) at Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), recommends enlisting the assistance of beekeepers in Singapore who will remove the bees in a humane manner.

Boopal told Mothership that Acres does not handle bees.

Top photo via Facebook