Pennsylvania State Homeowner Finds Thousands of Bees Inside House Walls

A homeowner in Pennsylvania had a problem when she found thousands of honeybees inside the walls of her house. Her neighbors had started to complain because they had become a real nuisance in recent weeks.

The mailman had threatened to stop delivering the mail, so she contacted HoneyBee Blues, a business near Pittsburgh that specializes in removing swarms and hives. According to Joe Kellems, co-owner of HoneyBee Blues, the situation is actually quite common.

“Many people don’t realize it until it’s too late because often they are caught between the first and second floor.” That’s something that is difficult for most people to see, so they don’t usually notice it until it becomes a big problem. “And at that time, people like us are required to come out, find them, and safely bring them out,” he said.

Kellems said that he and his business partner, Dawan Johnson, receive these types of calls frequently. Furthermore, there have been additional news stories released since the home was treated on April 8.

Four Hours and Thousands of Honeybees Later

The couple went to Homestead, which is a borough located seven miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, to get a closer look. The woman was informed that the service would be given to her for free, which they have done many times before.

“We do our best to assist those in need by providing our services free of charge to people who are experiencing financial difficulties or cannot afford the cost of our services.” It’s a difficult situation when you walk into a place and someone has a large group of bees and they can barely afford to take care of themselves,” Kessems said.

They also try to make the interaction as personal as possible because they are entering the bees’ home to remove them. They put on protective clothing and used smoke to hide their scents before going into the house.

Also Read: Vague Laws Make Squatter Eviction More Harder in Pennsylvania

HoneyBee Blues even received positive attention for providing free service in exchange for allowing her home to be featured on TV. Kellems says they would have done it for free, even if the local reporter hadn’t shown up.

“Based on that, it seems like the hive is going to be large.” I think it’s about 4 to 5 feet tall. The width is likely around 12 inches. This is likely the third largest one we have done. Kellems shared with KDKA-TV that they have likely been there for more than two years.

It took over four hours to remove around 5,000 to 8,000 honeybees from the home. The removal process was done slowly to prevent upsetting the bees. Kellems uses a special camera that detects heat to find out where the bees are inside the building before making a plan.

The thermal imager helped him find the wooden beams behind the wall. He then moved to the section of the wall between the beams so that he could easily “reattach it.” “After I remove that material, the bees are usually found at the top of the framing and inside the wall or braces as I continue working,” Kellems explained.