Rescue with care
A gentle rescue is a safe rescue.
Watch her for a moment before you act — then a few calm habits keep both you and the bee safe.
Ages 8+, always with an adult · keep small parts from under-3sFirst, check it isn't a wasp
Grounded wasps are common in late summer, they're far more likely to sting than a tired bee, and they don't need rescuing. The quick tells: wasps are smooth and bright yellow with a narrow waist; bumblebees are furry and round; honeybees are amber-brown and fuzzy. If it's a wasp, leave it — and don't leave an open, syrup-scented pod unattended while you work out which one you've got.
A big spring bumblebee is probably a queen — leave her
A large, slow bumblebee in early spring, or one found indoors in autumn or winter, is very likely a queen, and a queen is a whole colony that hasn't happened yet. Don't warm her and don't keep her: warming a bee in torpor raises her metabolism and burns exactly the reserves she's conserving, and a spring queen moved away from her nest may never get back to the eggs in it. Leave her where she is. Only if she can't stay there — indoors, or somewhere she'll be trodden on — move her gently, the shortest way, to a cool, dry, sheltered spot outdoors: under a hedge, in a log pile, out of the wind. Then leave her alone. She would physically fit in the catch-cage, but fit isn't the point: she's the one bee we ask you never to use it on. If she does have to be moved, let her walk onto a leaf and carry her that way — never the cage. She would physically fit in the catch-cage, but fit isn't the point: she's the one bee we ask you never to use it on. Move her gently on a leaf instead.
Look at her wings before you reach for the cage
Wings that are crumpled, shrivelled, stubby or twisted mean she can't fly, and bee-water won't change that. On an otherwise fresh-looking honeybee that's usually deformed wing virus, carried by varroa mites — which means a colony somewhere close by. Ordinary wear is different: an older forager with small nicks and frayed edges flies perfectly well, so treat her like any other grounded bee. If the wings are deformed, don't cage her and don't pod her. Let her walk onto a leaf and set her down in cover — a hedge bottom, a border, anywhere off the path and out of the sun. If you keep finding bees like her in one spot, tell a local beekeeping association: it points to a colony that needs help.
A bee in water — lift her out on something flat
Pools, birdbaths, water butts and half-finished drinks catch a lot of bees, and the catch-cage is no use in water. Slide a leaf, a card or anything flat under her and lift her out — still no fingers. Set her down out of the wind on a dry, sheltered surface, out of direct sun, and let her groom herself dry. Don't rub her with cloth or tissue, and don't offer bee-water to a soaked bee: syrup on wet hairs mats them, and drying comes first. Once she's dry and walking steadily, give her the usual short watch — if she still doesn't fly, then she's out of fuel.
Let the bee come to you — never bare hands
Don't lift a bee with your fingers — catch her with the catch-cage, or let her walk onto a leaf or card, and guide her into a pod. That protects you from stings and the bee from being crushed (squashing is the main cause of stings). Only ever help a genuinely grounded bee; never chase a healthy one.
Not for anyone allergic to stings
This kit brings you close to live bees, so it isn't for anyone with a known bee or wasp sting allergy. Watch for serious reactions — swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, faintness — and call emergency services straight away if any appear.
White sugar water only — never honey
Bee-water is just plain white granulated sugar and water, offered as 4–5 drops on the pod's well sponge — never poured onto the bee herself, where it mats her hairs and can block the spiracles she breathes through. Never feed honey: shop honey can carry foulbrood spores, and a bee who drinks it can carry them home into a hive. Not brown sugar, and not powdered/icing sugar — its anti-caking starch upsets a bee's digestion. Don't flood the sponge or force the bee to drink.
Never feed near a hive, and never leave syrup out
Open sugar syrup near a colony starts robbing, which can kill a hive, and it recruits wasps that will kill the bee you're trying to help. Don't work a bee within sight of a hive entrance, don't leave a pod open and unattended, and never set bee-water out as a feeding station.
Mix fresh, wash after every rescue
Mixed bee-water keeps about a day in a warm bag — sugar syrup ferments and moulds fast, and fermented syrup is bad for bees, so tip out what's left and rinse the bottle after every rescue; the bottle ships empty for the same reason. The kit washes clean too. After each rescue, boil the feeding sponge hard for fifteen minutes — a quick rinse leaves bee pathogens alive, and four sponges ship so a clean one is always ready. Wash the pod, well and catch-cage, then soak them in dilute bleach. And never carry two bees from different places in the same kit.
Brief stay, then release where you found her
Move her out of harm's way and into the pod — 4–5 drops of bee-water on the well sponge, never poured onto the bee herself. This is short-term first aid, not a home: once she's up and moving, release her where you found her, or as close as is safe. She was already on her way somewhere, and a forager who gets carried off has to find her colony all over again. Keep the carrying to minutes, and don't take her home.
A grown-up's hands near the bee
Treat this as a supervised activity, not a toy. We recommend ages 8 and up, always with an adult — and an adult should decide whether a bee truly needs help and handle anything close to it.
Wash up, keep small parts from little ones
The kit contains small parts — keep it away from children under 3. After every rescue, wash your hands and any tool you used: good hygiene after handling wildlife, and it clears scent that could agitate other bees.
Use & responsibility
Save a Bee is made for one thing — giving a tired bee shade, a drink and a safe way home — and a little care makes all the difference. Have a read of the printed guide before your first rescue and keep it close; we've put everything you need to do this kindly and safely right there. Please leave the hands-on helping to someone who isn't allergic to bee or wasp stings, treat it as a calm, supervised moment rather than a toy, and keep the small parts away from children under 3. Every rescue is yours to make thoughtfully and at your own pace — so if you're ever unsure whether a bee truly needs help, or whether it's safe to step in, it's always okay to simply leave it be. Look after yourself and the bees, and we'll keep doing our part.