Drinkers in the Henley area this summer might have been wise to check the seat before sitting on beer garden furniture, as many local pubs were visited by bees in greater numbers than usual.
But this is not a story with a sting in the tail - except perhaps for those customers who sat down without checking first - as it was all part of a deliberate plan to create bee-friendly beer gardens.
A total of 60 Brakspear pubs were provided with kits created by the Friends of the Earth's Bee Cause campaign, containing posters and drip mats, along with seeds to grow the types of flowers that would be likely to attract bees.
These could be grown in window boxes, patio tubs or gardens - meaning they could be placed well away from the beer garden furniture itself, to avoid an invasion of the winged creatures in customer areas.
But in practice, many summertime drinkers were happy to see more of the bees, which of course rarely attack humans except in self defence.
Melanie Roberson, tenant at the Saracens Head, said: "The bed is a mixture of daisies, buttercups, poppies and other wildflowers and grasses, so it's very natural, like a wildflower meadow. The patch is buzzing with the sound of bees."
"I think it's created some interest as well as a good feeling about the pub," she added.
The initiative is a great example of how beer gardens can serve a multitude of purposes, while enhancing the sense of a natural outdoor environment for customers to enjoy.
And by placing tubs and boxes away from beer garden furniture, it may be possible to lure winged insects away from the main customer areas and over to the flowers.
In any case, there are different options depending on the type of beer garden you want to create, including wooden outdoor pub furniture if you want to focus on all-natural materials, or chrome and other metals for a durable, all-weather beer garden.
Finally, if you don't want your outdoor pub furniture exposed to the elements overnight, consider more lightweight stackable chairs and tables that you can bring inside before closing up.