A SWARM of friendly bees was rescued after it gathered on a statue at a school in Malvern.
Malvern College shared a photo via its social media showing one of its griffon statues covered in the insects.
In a Facebook post, it said: "One of the Gryphons at St George sported a new look this afternoon.
"It seems a swarm of bees wanted to be part of our Malvern family for a while."
The school later confirmed the bees were safely removed by the father of a pupil, who is a beekeeper, and put into a new hive.
A school spokesperson added: "As the bees were beginning to swarm, one of our pupils walked past and said her Dad is a local beekeeper.
"He came along in his suit and box and collected them.
"The queen went in, and the others followed, so they’ve been moved to safety."
The school was also given the number of the Malvern and Upton Beekeepers Association in case it happens again.
According to the British Beekeepers' Association, swarming is a natural process which happens when the colony reproduces itself.
The old queen leaves with some of the bees, who then leave their hive and find somewhere to hang in a cluster until the scout bees decide on their new home.
Most swarms occur on warm sunny days from May to the end of July usually between 11am and 4pm.
Often there is a peak on a fine day after poor weather when temperatures approach the high teens.
A real honey bee swarm can be extremely dramatic involving many thousands of bees in a large noisy cloud.
However, they normally settle into a cluster within 15 minutes.
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