Punters basking in the sunshine outside a popular Manchester city centre pub yesterday spotted bees swarming and settling on a lamppost.
It’s no secret that bee swarms are a common sight across Greater Manchester, with several stories of city centre shoppers being shocked to see the buzzing insects collectively gathering and covering street signs, traffic lights, cars, and more, grabbing headlines over the past couple of years – and it seems 2023 is no different.
This time, it looks like they took a particular liking to a lamppost outside a busy beer garden.
As temperatures soared and the sun shone down on the city, shoppers walking passed The Mitre Hotel spotted thousands of bees congregating and covering a lamppost.
Harry Slater (@harryjslater85) was just one city centre shopper who happened to notice the bee swarm as he passed The Mitre yesterday, and made sure to grab a quick video and send it to The Manc on Instagram.
A walk past The Mitre this morning, however, has confirmed that the bees are no longer there, although it’s unsure whether they vacated themselves or if specialist help from a beekeeper was required to remove them from the lamppost.
As we all know, Manchester and bees go hand in hand – and considering the swarm was spotted yesterday on 22 May just steps way from the AO Arena, it could have been seen as a rather fitting and touching tribute to the 22 people who tragically lost their lives, and the thousands more injured and impacted, on the sixth anniversary of the Manchester Arena Attack.
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The worker bee has not only been an emblem for our city for over 150 years now, but after the Manchester Arena attack back on 22 May 2017, bees have gone on to become an even more prevalent symbol, and one that’s synonymous with remembrance and resilience.
The Mitre Hotel in Manchester city centre / Credit: The Mitre (via Facebook)
The city claimed the crown thanks to a study analysing UK cities based on a number of metrics – including pollution, green space, the number of flower gardens, allotment sites, individual allotment plots, and the number of parks.
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But why have there been so many bees swarming in Manchester city centre in recent years? And what does it mean?
Well, according to the British Beekeepers Association, a honeybee colony may swarm for a number of reasons but can often be seen swarming on warm and sunny days between May and July, and usually after a spell of poor weather.
It’s a completely natural process, and they will most likely swarm to reproduce after the old queen leaves a colony with some of the other bees.
The worker bee has been a symbol of Manchester for over 150 years / Credit: Pinterest | Damien Tupinier (via Unsplash)
Once the queen has left, scout bees will then head off in search of suitable places to construct the swarm’s home, and the successful scouts will eventually report back on the location of suitable nesting sites to the other bees – but in the meantime, the other bees will leave the hive and find a spot to wait until the scout decides on the new home for the colony.
The latter is most likely to answer for the swarm we saw yesterday.
With the warm weather set to continue, it remains to be seen whether this will be the last swarm we’ll see this week, but the city will no doubt be ready and waiting if it happens again.
Featured Image – Harry Slater (via Instagram – @harryjslater85)
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd May 2023 
