Helping bees in Malaysia - 21st May 2021

The number of bees in the world is getting smaller. Polluted air and growing cities are causing problems for the insects. But bees have an important job to do for the environment. They pollinate fruit, vegetables and other plants. Bees pollinate flowers when they fly between different plants.

In Malaysia, a 'green' organisation called "My Bee Savior" has started. The group wants to increase the numbers of bees.

Ooi Leng Chye helps at the organisation. If bees are not wanted, he carefully removes them.

Ooi Leng Chye: "So just move them in, take all the comb away, all the comb out from their original place and then move the bee as well as the comb back and place them into a box in wherever place that we want to keep the bees."

Ooi feels safe without wearing lots of clothes for protection. He understands the bees. He knows they only attack if they are angry.

He gently puts the insects into a basket. This stage can take 2 to 3 hours. The bees are then taken to a safe place far from big towns and cities. The insects are placed in a wooden box which becomes their home.

Before, if people in cities wanted to remove bees, they called the fire brigade. Often, the bees were then destroyed. The helpers at "My Bee Savior" can work with 10 problematic bee calls a day. The organisation wants to teach everyone about bees. They want to show people not to be afraid.

Ooi Leng Chye: "I think it's because urban dwellers are more afraid of bees and not so familiar with bees. So their perception is that bees are very dangerous. So the moment they see bees, they'll immediately try to find some way to remove the bees."