After noticing a swarm of bees gathering on her roof where it meets her neighbor’s, Joy Chew from Orinda, California grew worried that something was amiss. It wasn’t until she saw footage from a professional that she realized the extent of the issue, and where it originated from. Chew was left in disbelief, recalling how she was astonished upon seeing the footage of a bee infestation in the space between her and her neighbor’s garage.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 estimation, the number of bee colonies in the United States is at 2.92 million. Despite the seemingly high number, concerns over the decline of honey bees persist, prompting calls from groups such as Greenpeace for greater efforts to protect this vital species.
Chew was determined to ensure the safety of the bees upon learning of the potential presence of a colony near her garage. She consulted her neighbors, who had more experience in dealing with hives, and contacted the same professional they had previously used to remove bees.
What truly perplexed Chew was what was attracting the bees to the back of her property. The mystery was solved when a bee removal specialist went in with a camera.
After watching a video of the bee infestation in her garage, Joy Chew was surprised to learn that next to the new hive was a completely abandoned one from years ago. She was very impressed by the large honeycomb and decided to post the footage on Reddit to raise awareness about the beauty and necessity of bees.
To her surprise, the video became extremely popular, receiving more than 10,000 upvotes.
Chew also made a point to say that merely exterminating those bees would not have fixed the problem, as the new bees had been drawn to the older, abandoned hive. Chew also noted that it is probable that a few other older hives had existed in the same wall, and that there may have been several bee generations in the area.
Luckily, Joy’s bee infestation issue has been resolved.
To prevent any future infestations from arising, the bee expert she hired sealed up the entrance where the bees had gotten in and painted over the walls with a scent-blocking substance. Chew revealed that the entire removal process, which included removing hives and the bees, was a ten-hour process.
Chew also noted that there isn’t much we can do to prevent bee infestations. The main thing, however, is to check for cracks regularly in our properties and seal them as soon as possible. She emphasized that there is a proper way to handle bees if a hive is found.
Chew emphasized the importance of not killing bees and instead advised calling a professional to safely remove and relocate them.
A multitude of bee-related videos have gone viral on social media in the past. One particular clip of bees swarming a dumpster filled with Krispy Kreme donuts garnered much attention, as did another video showing a man stumbling upon a massive beehive in the window of his vacation home.
