THERE'S a big buzz about the new arrivals at Sainsbury's in Hampton, which has become one of the first stores in the country to install a 'bee hotel'.

The supermarket in Tangley Park Road is one of 38 branches across London introducing hives in a bid to address the UK's fast declining bee population.

But bosses at the store, where the insects set up home three weeks ago, insist customers have nothing to worry about because the bees are very docile and unlikely to sting.

Bee expert Robin Dean, brought in to manage the 'hotels', described bees as the 'unsung heroes' of the food chain since the majority of fruit and veg grown in the UK depends on them for pollination.

"We hope that by setting these bee hotels up at a network of stores across the city we'll be able to help rejuvenate the bee population in Hampton and learn more about why the population has decreased so dramatically over the past few years."

The sharp decline in the worldwide bee population during recent years has baffled scientists, with explanations ranging from parasitic mites to the effect of mobile phones.

More than 30 per cent of bees in the UK failed to survive the winter during 2007/8, according to the British Beekeepers' Association.

Although that figure has fallen to below 20 per cent in the last two years, it is still well above the 7-10 per cent deemed 'acceptable' by the organisation.

Experts recently predicted that if bees and other pollinators were completely wiped out it would cost the UK economy up to £440 million a year.

Sainsbury’s Hampton store manager Patrick Higgins said: "We are passionate about supporting the local environment and everyone at the store is keen to support this project. We are proud to do our bit to boost the bee population in the Hampton area.

"We'd also like to reassure customers that the bees which will take up residence in the hotels are solitary bees, which are very docile and are therefore very unlikely to sting."