AKRON, Ohio -- Emily Mueller of the Mueller Honey Bee Co. loves bees, not only because they're central to the business she operates with husband, Ryan.

"Bees represent life and death," she said. "We've had three miscarriages, so these pictures are dedicated to life and death, to all of the children we've had."

With the Mueller's fourth child due in November, Mueller recently sat for a photography session featuring a "bee belly." In the photos, taken by Kendrah Damis Photography, a four-pound swarm of bees, numbering about 20,000, cover her belly, with some on her arms, neck and face.

The technique for working with bees is to get them when they're swarming, she said. Before bees leave their hive to follow their queen, they eat so much it makes them sluggish, and with full abdomens, they can't bend to sting. In the photos, Mueller is holding the queen in a small cage, which keeps the swarm close.

Mueller made headlines in June, when pregnant and wearing flip flops she removed a large swarm from a building on the Summa Health campus.

The new baby will join Cadyn, 10, Madelynn, 3 and Westyn, 1.

"It's number done," she said. "We wanted four, we have our four and new we're ready to let them grow up and help run our business."

Mueller can't remember whether the baby was responding to the bee belly during the photo shoot.

"I wasn't paying attention to that," she said. "It was a little nerve-wracking. It was my first experience with them being on my body, and wearing a dress, which posed a lot of threats."

Mueller Honey Bee Co. removes bee colonies from homes and business without harming the bees or their hives. The business often performs large colony removals known as "cutouts," when a colony takes up residence inside a structure, such as a wall. Performing a cutout can take six to eight hours.

The structure must be opened and the comb carefully removed in sections so the bees can still live in it. Ryan Mueller developed a special vacuum to remove the remaining bees without harming them.

Emily Mueller also operates the Mueller Honey Bee store, which sells honey and natural remedies made from honey and elderberries. Bees from the company's local removal operations are also for sale.

Over the last few years, as news has spread about mass bee deaths from colony collapse disorder, Akron, like many cities, has stepped up, working to establish colonies, plant flowers and reduce pesticide use.

As a result, the Muellers are busier than ever, receiving 20-30 calls a day. The company is already booked into next spring. But don't call them to remove yellow jackets or wildlife. They only take care of honey bees.

For more information, call 330-357-9185.

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