A CRAVEN village has been dealing with hundreds of new residents - a colony of bees which has arrived from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk!

Langcliffe Community Garden is the new home for the honey bees, which perform a vital role in the pollination of crops for human food.

The village bee-keepers are Dave and Tina Roberts, who have been kitted out in new bee-keeping suits thanks to a donation of £200 from the Langcliffe Village Show group. Dave said that the bees had settled in quickly at their new home, with the ‘Queen’ bee already producing hundreds of eggs.

He added: “The best thing about the project so far is the enthusiasm shown by people in Langcliffe. We want people to look out for the bees and plant ‘bee friendly’ plants. There will be a link on the website to help know what’s good to plant. We have a second hive ready and would like to collect a swarm to fill it. If anyone sees a swarm in the Settle area, please phone me on 07517 127788.”