30,000 bees removed from South Montgomery County softball fields

The South Montgomery County Girls Softball League fields were buzzing with activity Thursday as a beekeeper worked to remove a large hive with tens of thousands of honey bees near the batting cages.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said the hive was reported to his office, which is located near the fields off Pruitt Road, as softball officials prepared for a big tournament this weekend.

"Unfortunately, while it was up in a tree, it wasn't so high it couldn't be hit with a softball," said Noack, adding that the property the bees were on is owned by the county. "He asked for our help."

Noack said his office contacted a bee removal company to relocate the hive. Carlos R. Madruga, owner of Professional Honeybee Removal, said the hive was unusual because it was out in the open on the tree.

"Honey bees tend to build in cavities, not out in the open like those were," Madruga said. "But it does happen; they are a wild animal and they do as they choose."

Using a special vacuum and smoke, Madruga removed the bees, hive and tree limb. The county donated the bees to the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association.

Carlos Madruga, with Professional Honeybee Removal, covers a beehive after removing 20,000-30,000 bees from a hive at the South Montgomery Girls Softball League fields Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, in Spring. The bees were transported along with the hive to the Montgomery County Beekeeper Association. less Carlos Madruga, with Professional Honeybee Removal, covers a beehive after removing 20,000-30,000 bees from a hive at the South Montgomery Girls Softball League fields Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, in Spring. The ... more Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close 30,000 bees removed from South Montgomery County softball fields 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

According to Madruga, preserving honey bees is critical for our food supply.

"About a third of our food depends on bee pollination," he said.

According to the America Beekeepers Federation, as honey bees gather pollen and nectar for their survival, they pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and cherries, are 90 percent dependent on honey bee pollination; one crop, almonds, depends entirely on the honey bee for pollination at bloom time.

"For many others, crop yield and quality would be greatly reduced without honey bee pollination. In fact, a 1999 Cornell University study documented that the contribution made by managed honey bees hired by U.S. crop growers to pollinate crops amounted to just over $14.6 billion," the ABF site states.

Each year, American farmers and growers continue to feed more people using less land, according to the ABF. They produce an abundance of food that is nutritious and safe. Honey bees are very much a part of this modern agricultural success story. It's estimated that there are about 2.4 million colonies in the U.S. today, two-thirds of which travel the country each year pollinating crops and producing honey and beeswax.

Madruga, who is licensed by the state of Texas, has been handling bees for about 15 years and is a fourth-generation beekeeper. He said about 30,000 bees were removed from the tree. The remaining bees, he said, will die. He explained the bees have a lifespan of only six weeks and the bees that are away from the hive are older bees.

"Those bees left behind are field bees because they were out gathering," he said. "They are going to die. They can't live without the colony, but also because they are mockingbird food and lizards eat them. They just go back in the natural order of things."

Officials with the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association could not be reached for comment.

For more information about bees and removal, visit Madruga's website at woodlandsbeeremoval.com or the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association at mocobees.com.