Surprise guests: Homeowner discovers 180,000 bees in ceiling
A resident of Inverness, Scotland, lived with a "buzzing" bomb. Beekeeper Andrew Card from Loch Ness Honey Company visited his house and discovered that over 180,000 bees were living under the ceiling drywall. The colonies could have been there for several years.
27 June 2024 18:16
The bees were probably not discovered for years because they lived in the ceiling of an additional guest bedroom. The homeowner admitted that the only thing that worried him was his grandchildren's words, which, after every sleepover, mentioned "listening to bees at night."
The beekeeper discovered three separate colonies, each averaging about 60,000 bees, which is more than the average colony at this time of year. His team removed the bees with the help of a specialized vacuum and relocated them to temporary hives.
The colonies will be monitored for six weeks for parasites and fed to give them the best chance of survival during winter.
Next year, the bees are set to start producing honey.
Bees decided to live in a BMW
Last month, a mechanic specialising in car window installations was quite surprised when a swarm of bees took over a BMW he was working on, replacing a window and installing a mosquito net.
An Autoglass employee from Kent heard a loud buzzing just before the bees swarmed the car.
He ran to his van and called for help from local beekeeper Peter Down. It is believed that the bees were looking for a new home because they outgrew their previous hive, and the BMW 2 Series, quite simply, seemed like an "optimal" size.
Down (41) moved most of the bees, including the queen, into a mobile hive so the rest of the bees would follow. Fortunately, the swarm didn't sting anyone.
(The employee - editor's note) just wanted to equip the car with new window screens, and apparently, the queen bee decided to conduct her own inspection along with the other honey bees, said Down humorously.
He also added that you had to see the expression on the window technician's face when he arrived and saw what happened to the BMW.