Brent Wallace, son of a homeowner in Spring, Texas, recently discovered the stuff of nightmares in his mother’s home. Fourteen years ago, Wallace noticed a hive of bees in the first story wall of the house and had it removed. Six months later, the bees returned.

That was in 1999. Walter Schumacher of Central Texas Bee Removal states that bee hives can grow at a rate of one-foot to one-and-a-half feet each year. As a result, Wallace’s house now has twenty feet of bee hive in the insulation. The two-story hive is the largest hive that beekeepers of the region have reported.

The beekeepers have removed the first ten feet of hive already and will be returning early next week to explore the rest of the damage on the second floor of the house.

They’re focus, along with Wallace’s, is to save the bees, as populations in central Texas are under attack of an illness called Colony Collapse Disorder. And there are certainly an overwhelming amount of bees to rescue. The estimate currently stands between 200,000 and 500,000, with only 50,000 having been removed thus far.

Honey bees are generally not dangerous, but in these numbers, under stress, a panic could be “pretty nasty,” says Schumacher. Central Texas Bee Removal is in its third year as a non-profit organization that runs under the premise of keeping bees out of harm’s way while also preventing humans being stung. After removal, the bees are relocated to a plot at Texas 59 and I-10.

Avoid Brent Wallace’s issue and take care of a hive before it gets out of control. Contact Westchester Wildlife today and let the professionals help.

Source: http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/springtx/article/At-2-stories-and-500-000-bees-hive-discovered-in-5364152.php#photo-6099777