Bees move out while National Trust house in Wales gets new roof

Exclusive: Former owners of Plas yn Rhiw stipulated insects be protected so given temporary home while work takes place

When the 17th-century manor house in the far north-west of Wales was bequeathed to the National Trust, it came with a clear condition: the bees in the roof, which sometimes produce so much honey that it oozes through cracks in the walls, should be left alone.

However, the ravages of the wind and rain mean the slate roof of the house, Plas yn Rhiw, on the Lln peninsula, needs to be replaced and so about 50,000 rare Welsh black bees have been given a temporary home while the work is done.