Victoria Street shop window overtaken by 5,000 European honeybees looking to set up a new hive for the spring

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A 5,000-strong swarm of honeybees has caused a buzz by nesting on a shop front in the middle of central London.

The bees descended on a discount sign on the window of Topshop on Victoria Street, turning the fashion store display into a wall of insects.

It is understood the unusual nesting place was picked by the queen bee, who landed there first and was quickly followed by her devoted colony.

Shoppers stopped to take photographs of the unusual sight in a busy area of London.

Shoppers get caught among the honeybees. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PA

Tony Mann, a project manager at nearby John Lewis and a trained beekeeper, dashed over to the shop to lead efforts to smoke the European honeybee colony out.

Mann, wearing a white beekeeping suit and netted hat, said: "We have either had a virgin queen or an old queen. She has left the nest, and she has brought the swarm and settled on the shop front."

He said some of the bees were flying around the area "like scouts to try to find out where the next best place to go is".

The honeybees settle on Topshop's window. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PA

He added: "We are going to smoke them into a box and encourage them to stay there. We will remove them later today."

Asked where the bees will be taken, he said: "They will go to whoever wants a hive. We need bees in London as much as we need them on the countryside. Bees are a keystone species."

It is common for honeybees to swarm and set up a new hive during the spring time.

The colony was later safely moved across the road to the roof of Westminster cathedral, where it will be looked after by beekeepers.

It is not known where the bees originally came from, but several shops in the local area do have their own hives.

Beekeepers take the bees across the road to the roof of Westminster cathedral. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PA

David Beamont, operations manager at the Victoria Business Improvement District (BID), which manages the interests of businesses in the area, said trained keepers arrived quickly on the scene to deal with the situation.

He said: "In Victoria there are over a dozen experienced beekeepers who have all been on an intense training course that focuses on the theory and practical training of urban beekeeping, successfully managing hives for nearly two years.

"Local beekeepers were able to respond swiftly to manage the swarm, collect them in a mobile hive and move them to a suitable location. Our ambassadors were also on site to reassure members of the public that the bees were not distressed."

Ruth Duston, CEO of Victoria BID, said local businesses kept bees to boost the area's biodiversity.

She said: "With a falling national bee population, the bees in Victoria play a key role in showing that London is a healthy, liveable city."