A recent story on bees swarming local homes incorrectly stated that Sandra Tucker (Ingham) Adams was a homeowner. She is, in fact, living with her daughter temporarily.

Reports of bees invading local homes and city streets have had phones buzzing at The Royal Gazette for weeks.

Residents, like Sandra Tucker (Ingham) Adams of Paget, have been kept "buzz-y'' lately fighting off swarms of bees.

Mrs. Adams told The Royal Gazette that she had been waging a war against a swarm of bees for days.

"I have two young grandsons here and I'm afraid they will get stung,'' she said. "I've talked to other people and it seems to be Island wide.'' Government agriculture assistant Tommy Sinclair said the bees were in search of food and water.

"The bees are looking for food and water sources in the heat,'' Mr. Sinclair explained. "You will find them around swimming pools and bird baths looking for water.'' And he advised home owners, like Mrs. Adams to call a beekeeper or Pest Control.

"If you get a swarm near your house, get a bee keeper,'' Mr. Sinclair said.

"The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have the numbers of some beekeepers.'' But he said if the bees get into the roof or air vents, call in an exterminator.

"If they have a swarm that has got into their roof or vent, the bees will stay there until they are removed,'' he added. "It is costly and time consuming to get them out.'' Mr. Sinclair said there were several companies that dealt with bees.

And he reminded the public that swarms of bees only looked menacing. "They are at their gentlest when they are in swarms,'' Mr. Sinclair said. "They only look menacing.'' But he warned that people should not try to remove a hive or spray a swarm since it may insight the bees to attack.

Mr. Sinclair added that the bees buzzing around city streets were searching for food to store.

Last month, callers complained that the bees had become a pest in the City of Hamilton.

Corporation of Hamilton secretary Roger Sherratt had said it was not the first time that the flying visitors have swarmed around the city.

"We had a problem with a swarm of bees located in a tree, right at the top of Queen Street last year,'' he recalled.

Mr. Sinclair said the bees were attracted to trash cans by discarded tins of soda and other sweet foods.

"They fly around trash cans because of the tins of soda or anything else that is sweet,'' he explained. "They take it back to the hive and collect it.'' BEE CAREFUL -- Sharon Tucker (Ingham) Adams cleans up some of the bees she has managed to kill in her ongoing battle against a swarm outside her Paget home.