It's so scary, says Woodlands resident after finding hundreds of dead bees at her doorstep

One woman in Woodlands had a huge shock yesterday (July 18) evening after being greeted by hundreds of dead bees outside the doorstep of her HDB flat.

Several bees also managed to 'infiltrate' her home after she "forgot" to close the toilet windows, she said.

Taking to Facebook on Tuesday (July 19), Tiffany Ng shared a video of hundreds of bees swarming outside Block 185A at Woodlands Street 13.

"[They were] outside my window. It's so scary," she wrote, while pointing out that it was not the first time bees had caused a nuisance at her neighbourhood.

In another 15-second clip, Ng was seen using a broom to sweep a pile of dead bees outside her doorstep.

"I hope the town council will do something about it," she said.

In the comments, a netizen joked that the appearance of bees at her home is an auspicious sign, referring how 'bee' in Mandarin sounds like the word for wealth. 

AsiaOne has contacted Ng and Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council for comments.

Residents faced with bee swarms should not aggravate them, Dan Dhamaraks, the owner of pest control company Ridpest, told AsiaOne on Tuesday (July 19).

"Normally, the pest control will try to destroy the entire bee-swarming population, but [it'll not be] 100 per cent [successful]... unless there is a hive and they are attracted to a queen bee," he said, adding that he has yet to receive calls from residents to deal with such insects in recent times.

He pointed out that those bees in Woodlands are likely honey bees, and they are harmless unless provoked. 

In past incidents of bees swarms invading HDB blocks, a Fernvale resident described how her life was in danger after hundreds of bees invaded the corridor outside her home in June 2019. 

Speaking to the New Paper at that time, Chen Youzhen said that even though a pest control company killed the bees in two hours, she remained too afraid to open the windows of her home. 

In April 2014, a 30-year-old pest control officer died after he was attacked by a swarm of bees along Sherwood Road. He was not wearing any protective clothing at that time, The Straits Times reported. 

And in Feb 2014, a man living in a flat at Yishun was startled to find a swarm of bees in a corner of the bathroom wall.

The man, who wanted to be known only as Hong, told The New Paper that he had just bathed his three-year-old son when he saw the alarming sight, adding that he later called a pest control company and the "problem" was dealt with in 15 minutes. 

According to information on the National Parks Board's (NParks) website, bees that appear at residential estates are drawn to urban light sources in the late evenings and early mornings.

Installing thick curtains or an insect screen on your windows can reduce the likelihood of these insects entering your homes, NParks shared, adding that swatting at them will cause bees to become more aggressive. 

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chingshijie@asiaone.com