CALL-outs to assess and treat bees have been suspended after St Helens Council’s pest control service has been inundated with requests in the past few weeks.

Requests that have already been logged will be responded to, but no new ones will be accepted until the service catches up, unless there is an immediate risk to the public, a spokesman for the council said.

The spokesman said: “Bumble bees, tree bees and masonry/solitary bees are normally gentle creatures and, provided that they are not disturbed, are widely considered harmless.

“The calls received suggest that these bees are being mistakenly identified for the more aggressive wasp.”

Wasps seldom start to be noticed before June and are an insect for which treatments are routinely provided by the council at a charge of £45.

While bumble bees will be seen from spring through to late autumn, tree bees – now at record high levels in the UK, and making up the majority of reports – and masonry bees can appear late in March but are usually in decline by June.

The council’s pest control service avoid routinely treating tree bees, which are widely recognised as beneficial to the environment.

However for colonies that pose a risk to the public, such as those located above doors or in bushes close to pathways – chargeable treatments will be undertaken by the council as a last resort.

The spokesman said: "The volume of requests is currently impeding the service’s ability to meet its statutory duties – responding effectively to genuine public health pests, such as rats and mice."

Information on the appearance and characteristics of the insects can be found on sthelens.gov.uk/business/environmental-health/pest-control.