A shocked family were dive-bombed and stung by furious bees after letting them build a giant nest in their bathroom.

The family had let the bees build their colony ‘to bring good luck’ as they appeared to be gentle creatures when the nest was smaller in Saraburi province last year.

As the bathroom was seldom used, the nest grew bigger over time and the family did not notice it had enclosed the huge drainage pipe on the ceiling.

When an elderly woman went to clean the bathroom, the furious insects chased her out. They then turned on her worried relatives who came to help her on April 4.

Dum Uankham, 76, one of the women attacked and stung by the bees, said she was quite superstitious and believed that letting the bees share their bathroom would bring her luck.

She said: ‘I let them stay here because I thought they would bring me luck. When they attacked me, I could not do anything and called for help.’

The volunteers wore latex protective suits to keep them safe from bee stings before carefully cutting up the hive from the ceiling.

When the nest was removed, the honey was given to the family which they shared among neighbours and thanked the team for their help.

The rescuers also checked the old woman’s bee stings but the bites were not serious and did not cause an allergic reaction.