A Healthy Hive
These bees were producing enough honey to feed countless generations of bees. This hive housed a total of thirteen capped queen cells. Each of these cells held a live virgin queen bee, which meant that in thirteen separate areas of the hive, there was an active swarm of bees going about their business.
This meant that this hive was not only huge, but it was also surprisingly active. In just a few weeks, it would have doubled in size! If the family waited any longer, the wall damage could have been significant. Glover declined to identify the homeowner by name but reported her shocked reaction. We can’t blame her. Imagine your reaction!
The True Size Revealed
Five rows of bricks later, Glover determined the edges of the massive comb and had a true sense of the hive’s enormity. It was the largest beehive he had ever dealt with, and it was the largest hive inside of a wall he had ever seen. Glover said that every once in a while, he gets a call that makes him cringe.
But, as he later reported on his Facebook page, even though he was dreading removing the bricks, what was revealed was "AWESOME!". The story went viral. It amassed over 100,000 shares in just one week. This hive held 35,000 bees and measured three feet high, and five feet wide. He estimated that it was about two years old.
Pest Control Damage Report
Not all pest problems are easily managed. This one required dismantling a side of the house, which goes against Glover's regular preference. He prefers to be minimally invasive when he removes honey bees from buildings. There is a risk to taking out bricks. The mortar could chip out, or the bricks could crumble. He wondered if the combs will still be usable once the bricks are out of the way.
It all worked out, and the homeowner was happy that the bees were removed and were able to be relocated. Those uninvited guests were officially evicted. It took the Bee Whisperer four hours to complete the labor-intensive work of removing the bees and cleaning the wall.
Assessing the Damage of the Insect Poison
Though a wall of wax protected the majority of the hive from extermination, on the far-left side of the lower end of the hive, Glover noticed a small pile of dead bees. It appeared that the deadly chemicals had destroyed some workers and drones, but, in the end, those sacrifices were insignificant.
On his website, the Bartlett Bee Whisperer explains that using pesticides wastes all the honey and wax, killing the bees that, if relocated, could be used to pollinate people's food. Throughout his website, he busts myths about bees and sets the record straight regarding their use in the world.
Relocating the Hive
Now that Glover had mitigated the damage to the family’s home, he was ready to move on to the relocating part of his job. Bee populations have been shrinking so drastically over the last 15 years that researchers have named it Colony Collapse Disorder.
CCD is affecting $20 billion worth of U.S. crop production annually, according to ABC News. Worldwide, it is just as much of a problem. Glover is in the business of relocating hives. He knows fruit farmers and beekeepers in the area who will take them in. He moves them to a place where they are welcome.