A BEEKEEPER and pest control worker has issued advice on how to feed and look after bees this summer.

Kane Wallace, living in Roughlee, Pendle, and working around East Lancashire, is a beekeeper and pest controller at Wallace Pest Control.

Mr Wallace says many people struggle with what to do about bees in the summer, but the main mistake is people who want to help, do not help in the right way.

He said: “If you ever find an exhausted bee, the absolute only thing you should feed it is a mixture of white granulated sugar and water.

“If you do not have white granulated sugar available do not substitute it with anything else, simply guide the bee to a flower and hopefully they will reach the nectar.

“Do not feed them honey, jam, sugary drinks or brown, icing or caster sugar.

“While honey may seem like a logical choice, most honey is imported and may carry fungal spores or viruses that may have a serious impact on our bee population.

“It's great that everyone is becoming more bee friendly but certain key pieces of information are not being circulated and in the long run may have a negative impact where people are trying to help.”

The beekeeper wants to increase the awareness around bees and how to treat them, as many people either panic or end up hurting them.

There are 250 different types of bees in the UK, with some of the most common including honeybees, bumblebees, and mining bees.

Mr Wallace said: “People do often panic when they see bees going under their gutters but most often they turn out to be bumblebees.

“Most species of bumblebee will die out in late summer and autumn and cause no significant problem.

“Unfortunately, we also lost 4 of our bumblebee colonies to a Badger attack a couple of weeks ago which was rather demoralising.”