Not long ago, a study conducted by North Carolina researchers found that insects and spiders exist within all homes. While failing to keep sanitary living conditions will most certainly attract unwanted bugs, the study found that even the most immaculate homes contained sizable arthropod populations. Considering the results of this study, it is no wonder why insect and spider infestations within homes are so common. The term, “insect infestation” conjures up images of unsightly cockroaches, relentless bed bugs, and ant swarms that seem to come out of nowhere. But honey bees are not normally associated with insect infestations within homes. However, bee colonies often become overcrowded during the mid to late summer season. When this occurs, a sizable population of bees will ditch an overcrowded colony in order to establish a new nesting site elsewhere. Unfortunately, these temporarily homeless bees sometimes take up residence within the attics or behind the walls of residential homes. For example, a resident of Spring discovered that she had an infestation consisting of 50,000 honey bees hidden above her ceiling and behind the walls of her home. The woman did not notice any signs of her numerous honey bee roommates until honey started to literally drip down the sides of her walls, turning her house into a honey pot.
After hiring workers to renovate her roof, Latanja Lavine was told that honey bees had been swarming out of a hole on her roof, and work could not begin until the bees were no longer deemed a threat to the construction crew. Lavine then hired a professional to plug the hole, at which point the construction crew began renovations. Within a day, Lavine could not help but to notice massive amounts of honey dripping down her walls where it formed puddles on her floor. While Lavine struggled to mop the sticky substance off of the floor, a pest control crew smoked the honey bee colony out, which consisted of approximately 50,000 honey bees. According to Lavine, the bees had been swarming everywhere, and the pest controllers were unable to locate the queen, indicating that a new colony could take form within her home in the future, but nobody has heard from Lavine since.
Have you ever found one or more bees within your home?
