Homeowners in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada didn’t know that they were sharing a home with 50,000 honeybees until someone in their home was stung. The incident prompted Carol Stewart to call for expert help to assess the situation. Beekeeper David Schuit, owner of Saugeen Country Honey in Elmwood,Ontario, made a startling find. “I’m shocked, I’m shocked that there were that many bees in there,” Stewart told CTV News, “There were thousands of bees. Unbelievable that they have been in your house for this long and you not, not being aware, like no sound, no nothing.”

Schuit worked with his team, his son and daughter, for several hours to remove the bee colony, which had taken residence behind an upstairs guest bedroom wall, as reported by CBC News. “There was a crevice in the eave trough,” said Schuit. “They came in and they made their home up in the rafters and then also in behind the drywall.”

While 50,000 honeybees sounds like a lot, Schuit told CTV it could have been an even bigger problem. Because they were just at the start of spring, the hive wasn’t at its full capacity of 80,000 to 90,000 bees. Schuit’s son found the queen bee, ensuring that the colony would be able to survive and the Schuits took the bees back to their farm.

Videos and more info: CTV News, CBC News