Cornwall Woman Creates Buzz By Saving Bees

Quick Smiles:

• One woman’s passion is rescuing and relocating bees, saving hundreds of swarms
• Her innovative efforts lead to award-winning honey and thriving colonies
• The whole community benefits from her dedication to the environment

Molly Earl’s days are anything but ordinary. From peering into chimneys to braving rooftops and dodging sparks near electricity substations, she dedicates her life to rescuing honey bee swarms across Cornwall, offering these vital pollinators a new lease on life.

Molly’s journey began in childhood, when she teamed up with her dad—armed with just a cardboard box—to catch stray swarms. “Sometimes, if I was lucky, I’d get a sheet to put over the box,” she recalls with a smile.

Her curiosity and care grew into a hobby, then a mission. Unable at first to reach bees high in buildings due to lack of equipment or insurance, Molly decided to take action. She founded Bees Off, a bee rescue company, building a team of five and working tirelessly to save bees otherwise destined for extermination. Since 2020, Molly has established an incredible 250 rescued hives around St Austell.

Bees typically swarm when their colony becomes too crowded, needing about 70 litres of new space. “But there aren’t many trees with that kind of space available, so inevitably they move towards chimneys or roof spaces,” shares Molly. She initially heard of swarms through Facebook and local groups, but as her reputation grew, even local pest controllers began to refer her.

Using thermal cameras and a gentle ‘bee vac,’ Molly safely collects the bees, carefully transferring their delicate combs. The nectar found is then returned to the bees for nourishment. Once secured, the rescued bees enter quarantine for health checks before being relocated to lush apiaries.

After first learning to catch swarms as a child, Molly Earl now leads complex rescues to save honey bees from extermination

Some of the more unusual rescues have included retrieving bees from a hot tub pump and the ceiling of an electricity substation—requiring careful coordination and out-of-the-box thinking. “It’s all about the aftercare and making sure the colony is healthy and strong,” Molly emphasizes.

Her commitment has paid off: Molly’s rescued colonies boast a remarkable 98% survival rate. When her initial 70 hives outgrew her father’s farm, she used Google Earth to search for new green spaces.

She partnered with Imerys, a company restoring Cornwall’s former clay quarries, setting up 12 hives by Par docks and establishing more on reclaimed sites. Environmental manager Peter Sawford rejoices, “It’s not just benefiting the bees, the site or Molly–the whole community benefits.”

Molly’s bees now also thrive by a power station and an incinerator, proving that bees seek hedgerows and wild plants more than manicured farmland. She comments, “Bees don’t need acres and acres of monocrops. What they really want is scrubland and hedgerows.” Laboratory analysis of her honey, provided by the National Honey Monitoring Scheme, continually inspires Molly to learn more. “There’s always something to learn about bees, and that’s what I like.”

As well as offering rich forage, the chosen sites are secure and safe from disturbance. Still, they present their own challenges. “You have to micromanage them more than an apiary in a field…because if they did swarm, they could get into a place where it would be a real pain to deal with.”

Molly encourages anyone who spots a honey bee swarm to contact the British Beekeepers Association. When asked if bees would be better off in the wild, she notes, “Living naturally is not a reality, unfortunately,” though she is developing hives to better mirror their natural habitats.

Last year, Molly launched The Rescued Bee honey, winning enthusiastic fans—and a prestigious Gold Taste of the West award. “People love it,” she says. “To take bees from a place where they were likely to die out or be poisoned, to get them up to full strength, and then to have proper honey– it doesn’t get better, does it?”

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