A COUPLE with a new high-tech bird box were left stunned when bees decided to make it their home.

Maurice and Muriel Burchell of North Leigh were given their new bird box, including a camera that beams live footage to their television, about four weeks ago.

But now birds will no longer go near it after bees decided it was an ideal location to build a hive.

Mr Burchell, 82, said: “We were very surprised. Neither of us had seen a bee hive before so it was very interesting.

“We watched them building the hive up. They kept going out and coming back. It started off with a small piece of stuff and then gradually got bigger and bigger.

“It took them about a week to build the whole thing.”

The bird box, complete with live-streaming camera, was a gift from Mrs Burchell’s son-in-law Tony.

Though they had first been quite keen to see some birds, the couple’s fascination with bees has continued to grow.

Mrs Burchell, 90, said: “We were shocked when we first saw it but now we always put it on early in the morning to see what’s going on with the bees.”

The couple believe that Mrs Burchell may have even witnessed a VIP bee arriving at the bird box hive.

Mr Burchell said: “Muriel saw a great big bee going in there once and we think that that must have been the queen.

“They only ever seem to go in one at a time. One goes in and then later you’ll see another one follow.

“It’s very unusual. We haven’t seen anything like it.”

Despite the slightly strange series of events that has led to the Burchells’ bird box being inhabited by bees, neither one of them wants to get rid of the hive.

Mr Burchell continued: “We will leave it in there. We’re quite interested in seeing a bit more action.”

The development in the Burchells’ bird box comes at a very fitting time: it was International World Bee Day on Sunday, May 20.

The British Beekeepers Association took the opportunity to deliver an important message.

There are about 20,000 identified species of bees but honeybees are the only managed insects in the world. The health of honeybees is often taken as an indicator of the state of the natural world.

Nature-lovers are urged to plant trees and plants to create a sustainable environment for the insects. People can also adopt their very own beehive at adoptabeehive.org.uk