A Video That Starts With A Family’s Surprise
On 26 July, a Singapore family returned home expecting a quiet evening. Instead, they found an unexpected cluster of life buzzing right outside their kitchen.
In a video later shared by The Sundowner Bee Rescue initiative, the rescuer narrates the moment he arrived to help: “This family had a problem because when they came back and went to the kitchen one evening, to their surprise, in the yard, they found a large bunch of bees.”
The nest, he explains, was extremely new. “This is a red dwarf nest, just a few hours old and at this stage, they are docile enough for me to be able to carry it out of the house without needing to box it and without protection.”
In the video, he cradles the rack holding the nest with bare hands and carefully walks it through the corridor. “Over at the corridor, they said goodbye to their short lift pets and thus began my journey towards the apiary, hoping that on the lift way down, no one would press for the door.”
Even at the car, the bees are visibly calm. “They’re calm enough for me to be able to transport them in the open,” he says. The rescued nest is later installed at the group’s apiary, which he notes now holds 15 colonies.
“After a week, they have built some comb with eggs and it’s another great day to beerescue.com.sg.”
Another Rescue, Three Storeys Up
A second video posted on 10 October shows the team tackling a very different challenge — a nest tucked high inside the false ceiling of a landed house. Reaching the bees required climbing multiple storeys of scaffolding.
The rescuer narrates: “Here they are in their usual space again, inside the false ceiling. After cutting it open and prying open the gypsum board, we found a pretty small cute nest of Apis Cerana or Asian honeybees.”
This time, the team uses a specialised tool. “Eugene is gently sucking them into our custom-made bee vacuum where they end up in this box, which is also their future home and hive.”
The process, he emphasises, is humane. “This process is actually really gentle. As you can see, they’re pulled in via the tube into the box.”
Midway through the rescue, they manage to spot the queen. “Here it is. Eugene has caught it live on camera. A pretty rare thing.”
Back at the apiary, the nest is rebuilt:
“I attached the cut-out comb onto a frame and bees had got onto it, released the queen and put it back into their hive. And it was just another great day to beerescue.com.sg.”
Who They Are: A Not-For-Profit Saving Bees From Extermination
The rescues are carried out by The Sundowner Bee Rescue, a not-for-profit arm of the Sundowner group, started in August 2020. Their mission is straightforward: relocations instead of exterminations.
They explain why the initiative had to choose between profit and principle:
“Due to the complex nature of bee rescues, even the simplest job will take 1 hour—far longer than a traditional bee extermination (a 5-min job). We were forced to make a choice… Do we do this for a profit (but be priced out of the market)? Or do we want to do this to save the bees?”
The decision, they say, was obvious.
“As of 2022, the initiative has rescued and relocated more than 150 bee colonies. That’s more than one million pollinators not killed!”
To fund their work and maintain their apiaries, they conduct paid educational experiences such as a rooftop farm tour, bee encounters, and mead-making workshops. Proceeds go directly into rescue operations.
Why It Matters: Bees Keep Singapore Alive
The United Nations has repeatedly emphasised the global importance of bees, noting that a third of the world’s food production depends on pollinators. Bees support biodiversity, agriculture, and food security, yet worldwide populations are declining due to pesticides, habitat loss, pollution, and climate pressures.
As UNEP writes, bees are “essential to keeping people and the planet healthy.” Without them, crop yields fall — and ecosystems collapse.
A Local Effort With A Global Purpose
In situations where bee exterminations are often the fastest and cheapest option, Sundowner’s work stands out for its patience and compassion. Their message remains simple: rescue, don’t kill — because every saved colony helps keep our shared environment alive.
If you spot a nest near your home, their advice is equally clear: don’t panic. Relocation preserves both safety and Singapore’s fragile pollinator population.
And in their own words, every successful rescue ends the same way — “another great day to beerescue.com.sg.”
Watch the videos here:
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