A Sting Operation, and What We Learned About Saving the Bees

7/21/2022 (Permalink)

They say you are never too old to learn something new. That was absolutely correct this week for us at SERVPRO of White Plains. We received a call from a property management company after the doorman in one of the buildings they manage, discovered a lot of bees swarmed on their canopy to the front door. They wanted the bees removed and were adamant they didn’t want them killed. We contacted a local neighborhood beekeeper. She set up a time to meet with the property manager and went to the building to assess the situation. The bees were not swarming around they were mostly covering a 2x4 area on the canopy. 

There was soon a small crowd standing on the sidewalk, disregarding the 98-degree temperatures to watch in fascination as she climbed up her ladder with no bee keeper suit on. She said she can sense that these bees were not aggressive, that they must have recently lost their prior home and were looking for another one. First thing she did was locate The Queen. As soon as she found her, she put her in a clear plastic box (a clip) that had holes in it. She said she does that to keep her safe and so that when she puts her in the box the bees will immediately follow her scent to their new location.  

It was amazing to watch as she put the clip onto the side of a banker's box. A regular banker's box that you see in your office daily. She held up the box under the canopy and gently scooped a handful of the bees with her bare hands (no gloves) and put them in the box. She said these were not aggressive bees at all and within 30 minutes they all made a beeline for the box (pun intended). She said she would take the box back to her yard where she actually “keeps bees”. She explained that she will put a honey comb from another colony of bees to help the bees acclimate to their new home and they will be able to fly around and continue to pollinate. 

I had to do some research. I was suddenly fascinated by bees. What did I learn you ask? A lot! 

 There are approximately 20,000 known bee species in the world and over 4,000 native to the United States. Non all bees produce honey. Who knew? For thousands of years, bees and bee related products have been used for medicinal purposes. 

Bees are one of the world’s most important pollinators for food crops. They help pollinate over 90% of the world’s most important crops. Bees are essential to almost everything we eat. 

Bees are very intelligent and people have applied their mannerisms and their socialization in creating human initiatives. Researchers have suggested that studying the action of bees can help develop emergency plans to evacuate people from an overcrowded situation. 

Bees farmed and wild, control the growth and quality of vegetation. When they thrive so do the crops.  

Pesticides have become the enemy to bees survival. It is essential to protect them to maintain our own well-being.  

We here are SERVPRO of White Plains plan to do our part to help save the bees!