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EDEN — An Ogden beekeeper recently encountered in the Nordic Valley the largest hive he has ever seen.
Vic Bachmann, owner of Deseret Hive Supply, recently got a call from a woman in Eden requesting that a hive be removed from her father's cabin. Bricklin Bertagnolli said the hive had been there since 1996, but the family had decided to leave it alone since the bees never bothered anyone.
When the Bertagnollis moved into the cabin full-time while waiting for their home to be built, they decided that for the safety of their infant son, they should get rid of the bees.
The hive ended up being more than 12 feet long, 16 inches deep and a foot wide. Bachmann said the largest hives he has seen measured about three feet long.
"Between the rafters was empty, so they went in there and built a hive just like they would have in a beekeeping hive or in a tree," he said. "It took us a little bit over six hours to remove it."
Bachmann, his partner, Nate Hall, and his wife, Annessa Bachmann, worked on removing the hive with the help of Bachmann's 12-year-old son. They took the bees back to Bachmann's North Ogden property, where he said "they're doing great."
Bachmann said he was not surprised the bees had been allowed to remain at the cabin for 17 years. He said the family recognized honey bees are typically fairly gentle.
"They basically just go about their business," he said. "You usually don't get stung by a honey bee unless you scare them in some way."