BEEKEEPERS are appealing on Twitter to help catch summer swarms for their hives.

Steve Atkins, from the Dorchester and Weymouth Beekeepers Association, has posted a message on the internet messaging system asking people to watch out.

He tweeted: “Please let me know if you see bees swarming in Dorchester or West Dorset area, empty hives to fill.”

Steve, 38, who lives at Martinstown, said: “I wanted to make sure people let us know if they see a swarm.

“Then we can get the nearest beekeeper in touch to go and collect them, as you need to be pretty quick.

“The bees tend to swarm on hotter days, when they are unhappy with where they are or when there is a second queen in a hive.”

He added: “Twitter can be brilliant. There are all sorts of things you can find although sometimes there is a lot of rubbish to sift through.”

Steve and beekeeper Jenny Eddison, of Martinstown, are among the members of the local beekeepers’ association.

When someone reports a swarm, an experience beekeeper will collect the creatures and take them to a home in a hive.

Landscape photographer Steve estimated that swarms could vary in size from 600 or 700 bees to 2,000. He stressed that people should just use common sense if they see a swarm and keep away rather than try to knock them off a branch or spray them with water.

Beekeepers said that bee numbers had been hit by pesticides as well as the varroa parasite.

Jenny, who has been keeping bees since 1993, said: “It is important to try to help bees at the moment.

“The varroa parasite hatches out in cells of bee hives and feeds on the insects. Some experts believe the parasites are also to blame for passing on a virus in the bee population.”

Jenny, who helps new beekeepers, added: “We have to help the bee populations become stronger.”

Anyone who sees a swarm is urged to call Jenny on 01305 889782 or Christopher Donaghy on 01305 852317.

Anyone interested in taking up beekeeping is urged to call Jenny on 01305 889782.