‘We love bees, we need bees, we save bees!’
Without bees there is no Us!
Louise Chapman BA (Hons) PGCE has been working as Norfolk’s very own Lady Mole Catcher since 2014. Since completing further professional training to enhance her skills, Louise now offers a complete pest control and wildlife management service to her customers, expertly handling problems caused to property, gardens and businesses across Norfolk.
Her latest venture, Buzz-Off Honey Bee, has been launched for summer 2020 to solve a common occurrence in warmer weather – honey bee swarms. Honey bees naturally swarm during the end of April to the middle of June and can often be seen hanging in trees, bushes or on walls as they travel en route to their new home that they have chosen. Local bee keepers will happily remove swarms that hang in these spaces, but they cannot help when the bees have entered a building space and have started to build their honey comb.
When honey bee swarms have set up home in chimneys and wall cavities, removing them due to nuisance, structural damage or work prevention reasons, is not an easy job and isn’t as straight forward as treating other insect nests.
This prompted Louise to think of an alternative solution of removing them live from buildings and re-homing them, since killing them with insecticides is no longer an appropriate course of action due to environmental and ecological reasons.
Because the honeycomb is a food source for bees, any contamination by pesticides or insecticides can have severe consequences. Once honey bees have created a honey comb the structure is protected by UK law. The longer a colony is in situ the larger the honeycomb, which provides a significant challenge for removing the insects and their structures legally and responsibly. It is also important to note that specific chemical insecticides are now being phased out or restricted, in accordance with the EU Biocide commission and HSE. In fact, the incorrect removal or illegal treatment of a honeycomb could result in a fine of up to £25,000.
Louise set about creating a team of professional experts, who together work to remove the honey bees and re-home them in protective and suitable areas around Norfolk where they can thrive.
Louise is keen to stress that her method of live honey bee removal offers a truly unique service, which is rarely available in the UK.
Another aim of Buzz-Off Honey Bee is to promote the conservation of honey bees and to educate about the importance of pollinators as a key part of our natural environment. Sadly, bee numbers are falling across the UK and around the world and although there appears to be no single cause for their decline, factors including habitat loss, use of pesticides and climate change are likely to have had an impact on their population: “Honey bees are vitally important for flower pollination but with the mass use of insecticides and pesticides they have become endangered. The U.N. have reported that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, more than 70 per cent are pollinated by bees. It is therefore vitally important that we take care of our bees.”
Having previously worked as an English and Drama teacher in secondary schools in Norfolk, a life outside in nature beckoned and she made a lifestyle choice to start her business. She is an accomplished public speaker and is regularly invited to speak about 20 times per year, about her work and life journey. Louise’s aim is to educate the public about managing wildlife and pests respectfully and responsibly.
Appearing on UKTV’s “Deadliest Pests Down Under” Louise has worked with pest controllers across the East coast of Australia, tackling pests including crocodiles, venomous snakes, spiders and wild pigs.
Often called upon to provide interviews with expert comment for the media, Louise has also featured on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today and Radio New Zealand. She has also been featured in The Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail and Wall Street Journal newspapers.
Louise says: “I am completely passionate about my work and lifestyle. I get a great sense of achievement every day because I solve customers problems and am stimulated by the challenges I meet. Mother nature always teaches me many new things everyday, and for that I am forever blessed. I hadn’t considered that starting my business as a mole catcher in 2014 would have led me to create a business that really is a game changer for the future of our world.”
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For more information please contact Louise Chapman on 07876 141153 or email info@buzz-off.co.uk
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