Town of Victoria Park denies bee extermination claims

Michelle Denise found the bees on her morning walk two weeks ago and said a Polytechnic West staff member told her the local council had exterminated them.

“I asked a member of security at Polytechnic West about them and he said he saw Council come in and spray the hives,” she said.

“When I first saw the hives I contacted someone to come and move them, but other considerations seem to have taken precedence and the quickest thing was to just kill them.”

However, a statement from the Town of Victoria Park denied any involvement or knowledge of the hives.

“The Town has not undertaken or commissioned, and has no knowledge of the extermination of any beehives in the Polytechnic West area,” the statement read.

“The Town’s policy is for the humane removal of bees when they pose a threat to the community, or a request is received.”

Wild Honey WA apiarist Carl Maxwell said he was very concerned with the extermination and the significant effect it would have on the environment.

“When people call for help they often don’t know that bees are such precious creatures, so most of the time they call for pest controllers,” Mr Maxwell said.

“Through their pollinating, bees are responsible for 80 per cent of the food we eat. If it wasn’t for them, chickens, cows and sheep can’t eat, fruits and vegetables wouldn’t flourish.”

Mr Maxwell said the hives exterminated and left near Polytechnic West were potentially threatening to all bees.

“When bees are sprayed they die and if the hive stays there, it often draws in other bees who might be trying to save the honey or the queen,” he said.

“They then pick up the chemicals from the spray and either die there or go back and infect their healthy hives; it creates a domino effect.

“It’s wrong to exterminate them and way more serious than we can imagine; they benefit our ecological society.”

The exterminated beehives have since been removed but the exterminator remains a mystery.

Ms Denise said she had first found the beehives about five months ago and had not experienced the bees to be a threat.

“My partner and I found the two colonies and walked past them every day; the hives contained thousands of healthy bees,” she said.

“The extermination is more than a shame; to me it’s at best negligence and at worst a criminal action.” Visit www.|wildhoneywa.com.