Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — With just three stings and no serious injuries, two beekeepers have safely removed an estimated 40,000 bees that bedeviled a Virginia townhouse community.
The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/2rCfkZo ) the 40-pound (18-kilogram) swarm was carefully snipped from a tree branch May 17 in a grassy area of the Fredericksburg community by 33-year-old Nathan Thompson and his 70-year-old father Earl. The two belong to a family of beekeepers spanning three generations.
A county animal control officer, Anthony McCall, responded to the outsized swarm. But a sheriff's office statement described McCall as a self-admitted "chicken" regarding bees. So he summoned Nathan Thompson, interim chief of neighboring Aquia Harbor police, for help.
The Thompsons removed the swarm to beehive boxes. Now they hope the bees can be loaned out to help pollinate farmers' crops.
___
Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
