Bees rehomed in hives above entertainment venue

The new hives will eventually home up to 40,000 honeybees

Five thousand honeybees have been rehomed in two hives on the roof of an entertainment and conference centre.

Their new home is on top of the Bournemouth International Centre as part of a project arranged by the Bee Mission charity.

Steve Turner, director of venues at operator BH Live, said: "This is just another step towards making Bournemouth International Centre a more sustainable venue and doing our bit."

The new hives will eventually home between 20,000 and 40,000 honeybees.

Bee Mission installs hives across Dorset and Hampshire, and cooks and delivers hot meals to the homeless in Bournemouth through the proceeds of its honey sales.

Amy Foster, from the charity, said: "The team who runs the venue had wanted some hives on the roof for a while.

"Through some mutual connections, they discovered the great work of Bee Mission.... we went round to check the area was appropriate for the bees, which it was - and now they've moved in, which is great to see."

Beekeeper Serge Seliukov said the bees would not bother anyone

Bee Mission's resident beekeeper Serge Seliukov said: "Anyone going to Bournemouth International Centre will probably not even notice the bees.

"While 20,000 sounds like a lot of bees, in reality, it's not that many and they won't bother anyone.

"They'll be heading straight to the flowers on Bournemouth's clifftops and gardens which is why it's a great spot for them with plenty of food.

"This variety of bees are bred to be very gentle and polite, so they won't be disturbing anyone with their buzz-iness."

Bee Mission was launched by local businessman Chris Bialan.

"We've always had big ideas, big targets, and a big mission for Dorset and Hampshire, but we are confident in the power of the community to help and support each other and the bees," he explained.

BH Live is a registered charity and social enterprise, and operates the centre with BCP Council.