"Hundreds of bees assaulted a drone operated by a CBS12 News crew in West Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday morning and then attacked the station's team of journalists when they maneuvered the aircraft back toward them to figure out what was wrong.

The crew sent the drone into flight in an attempt to get an aerial shot of a backhoe tearing into the Palm Beach Mall, which is in the process of being demolished."


Hundreds of bees sting Florida TV news crew after swarming over them during video shoot
By Daily Mail Reporter

"I am interested in having a swarm of bees removed from a tree trunk in my yard. The bees are housed in a hole in my tree (about 1 foot diameter) that is only about 4 foot up from the ground. Is this something you would be able to assist with, and if so, how much do you charge?  Thank you."  - Dan


Thank you, sir , for contacting me.  You're a little ways out of my territory, as far as driving distance goes.  The best I can do is give some advice. 

I don't know how bothersome these bees are to you.  There's a high probability that they will die over the winter, which isn't too far away now.  The easiest thing to do is nothing.

However, if you really want them gone now, you may be able to find a willing beekeeper in your area at beesource.com.  If you search under "Swarm Removal", they have a list of beekeepers in Michigan that remove bees and where they are located.

Finally, if the insects are not honey bees, but rather  some other sort of stinging, flying insect (wasp, hornet, yellowjacket), I would recommend killing them yourself.  This involves taking a can of Raid Wasp/Hornet Killer (or its equivalent), going out to the tree shortly after dusk on a cool evening, and spraying the can in the tree very liberally.  Leave quickly, and you may avoid getting stung.

I hope this helps in some way.

Billy Craig

"Honey bees are flourishing in Texas after a long drought has eased in parts of the state, reviving beekeepers' fortunes—and inflicting pain on unlucky Texans who have stumbled on hives in unwanted places.

The resurgence means Texas could dispatch more and better bees across the nation to help pollinate crops such as almonds next year. Some 80% of Texas beekeepers load their charges onto trucks and ship them to California and other states.

Bee specialists say that if Texas bees remain strong, they might help offset colony losses in some other states currently undergoing dry spells, such as Montana and the Dakotas, which contribute to the national pollination circuit.

The Texas bee revival also comes as the nation's honey bees have been sharply declining in recent years from colony-collapse disorder, a phenomenon scientists are still trying to understand. Bee health improved somewhat this winter nationwide, researchers say, perhaps because of the unusually warm temperatures in many areas.

The downside of Texas's turnaround is that honeycombs are showing up almost everywhere—in roof eaves and walls, within water meters and boats, and in one case on the eighth-floor pool deck of a hotel in downtown Austin."

Not All Texans Enjoy a Bee Revival
By ANA CAMPOY

Video Shows No Buzz Behind Clinton Malawi Bee Attack Story
By Dana Hughes

News over the past several years would lead one to believe that there is a massive shortage of bees and that bee pollinated crops are in danger.  But here's an ABC News story about a different kind of problem... too many bees and too many beekeepers.

Bees Out of Control: Beekeeping fad blamed for recent surge of insects.

If you have a bee problem, visit me here.

"Living things are like water to the third power: your honeybees are not only pollinators and progenitors, they are constant explorers of the surrounding ecosystem, looking for forage and future home places and water sources and, sometimes, other bees of whom to take advantage. They are dynamic, intelligent in ways of which we continue to learn more each year, and dedicated to the pursuit of that ecological niche that will help their family grow and prosper. This means they may be tempted to swarm in your neighbor's yard, and then move into her/his attic. They might be prefer the water fountain at a park on your block. If they get into a robbing frenzy, the pheromone in the air can lead them to sting unsuspecting creatures. It is your absolute responsibility as a beekeeper to work against any such possibility, and to remediate any situation that develops, whether its your bees or not. In fact, one reason to have urban beekeepers is to make sure that some of them are around to address situations like this that do happen with feral colonies."

Beige, I think I'll Paint It Beige...
by Phang

And the winner is...

"Sixteen dogs were playing outside after breakfast Wednesday when workers spotted what looked like a giant plume of smoke in the distance. As it approached, they realized it was a swarm of bees, which officials now believe to be of the Africanized variety.

The swarm swooped down on the exercise yard and began stinging dogs and employees, said Melissa Houlihan, owner of the Balcom Canyon Pet Lodge in Somis.

'They scrambled to bring the dogs inside, but the bees came down so quickly,' she said. 'It was horrific.'

A dozen dogs were stung. Three -- two whippets and a Cairn terrier -- are hospitalized in critical condition. The whippets were stung more than 250 times and appeared unrecognizable, Houlihan said."


16 dogs attacked by Africanized honey bees; three critical
-- Esmeralda Bermudez, LA Times

This link will take you to pictures of honey bees that I recently cut out of a fallen oak tree.

" So, what are your options? In our opinion here are your choices.

• Just leave them alone unless safety is a concern. Homeowners often follow this advice. In many cases the unmanaged bees will die over the winter due to problems with disease, parasitic mites, starvation, prolonged cold weather and other conditions. If you are convinced that the bees are dead, be sure to seal that opening as well as other places where bees may enter.
  
  
• Contact a pest control company for assistance. You may need to call several before you find one that will eradicate honey bees. Expect that eradication will not be a simple task and the charges for these services will reflect the difficulty of the job. It has been our experience that a single treatment kills only the adult bees flying or walking around the nest. After a few days the pupa, protected by the wax of their cells, will emerge as adults, so you still have a problem. We recommend that you insist they treat at least 2-3 times over a two week period.
  
  
• Find a beekeeper that will physically remove the comb and bees after the wall is removed exposing the nest. Expect to pay the beekeeper because the value of the bees is questionable at best. The labor needed to remove the colony coupled with angry bees and sticky honey makes this job difficult. When the beekeeper is done, you still have to rebuild the wall."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Bees in a Wall - What Can be Done?                                                                                                                                                   SEMBA - Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association                                

A picture of some bees and beeswax from a recent swarm removal job.

Link to Bees on Honeycomb