‘It was something to see’: 40K bees, gallons of honey removed from home

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Glenview area home in Tennessee is bee-free after a company removed tens of thousands of the buzzing insects that had taken up residence behind a wall.

The bees were discovered after they began accumulating outside a guesthouse.

The homeowner, a gardener and bee lover, knew she wanted to relocate the bees, but had no idea how many they would find behind the drywall.

“It was a lot,” said Gloria. “I was excited and shocked at the same time because I had never seen so many. It was something to see.”

Tuesday, the Bartlett Bee Whisperer carefully tore down the wall and removed a ten-foot hive containing 35,000 to 40,000 bees and about five gallons of honey.

The homeowners captured it all on camera.

“It was crazy,” she said. “Once he cut open that wall, and they started flying out, they weren’t aggressive. They were so calm. They would be flying around and would just come up to you. It was like they would look at you and go back.”

David Glover has been in the bee removal business for 16 years and tackled hives three times the size, but said it was still time-consuming.

“They were very chill, but it still took us six hours to finish the removal because of all the honey,” said Glover.

Glover said the bees got into the wall through a tiny hole near a pipe and said there are simple steps you can take to bee-proof your home.

“Bees only need a 5/16 of an inch gap to get inside,” said Glover. “If you have a gap between siding and bricks, you need to seal it with caulk.”

The bees removed from the Glenview home were relocated to Jones Orchard in Millington and will be donated to a non-profit group.

The homeowners can’t wait to enjoy the honey and said the bees are invited back to their property.

“I always wanted to be a beekeeper,” said Gloria. “It was very important for me to save them.”

She said she plans to attend some beekeeping classes after the first of the year.