30 July 2007: The Mounties face a new challenge

Canada's mounted police, the Mounties, are said always to get their man, but now they have a new challenge. Keeper Rodney Dillinger has asked them to round up his missing bees.

Mr Dillinger's bee colony became stressed and dissatisfied with their queen, so they raised a rival queen and then sent her into exile. Unfortunately for him, about half the bees - about 40,000 of them, sided with the old queen and left with her. Now he has called in the Mounties to track down his missing bees.

A Mounties spokesperson remarked "It's the first time that the police have been called in to help capture bees".

Mr Dillinger said "It's a common occurrence and they are not dangerous, but I'm worried someone may attack them. We haven't found them yet, but I know which direction they went".