At 2 stories and 500,000 bees, hive discovered in Spring home shocks experts

Beekeepers think the hive made be twenty feet high and contain up to 500,000 bees. Beekeepers think the hive made be twenty feet high and contain up to 500,000 bees. Photo: Brent Wallace Photo: Brent Wallace Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close At 2 stories and 500,000 bees, hive discovered in Spring home shocks experts 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Beekeepers are working to remove a beehive that's potentially two stories high after it was discovered in the wall of a house in Spring.

Brent Wallace, whose mother owns the property, told bee experts he had someone in to remove the bees 15 years ago but they returned just six months later.

When he finally called someone back to look again on Sunday, it turned out the bees were far from gone and had been pretty busy since 1999.

"We cut out the first 10 feet of hive," said Walter Schumacher from Central Texas Bee Removal. "It's entirely possible there is another 10 feet further up. Hives grow a foot to a foot and a half every year."

That would make it 20 feet high and the largest the bee removers have ever seen.

"I was shocked that it was that big," said Wallace who is preparing to have beekeepers back on Wednesday to knock through an upstairs wall to look for more. "I was impressed that these little, tiny bees had made it, it was an awesome sight."

Wallace said it was important to him that the bees were saved because bee populations have recently been under threat from a mysterious illness known as colony collapse disorder.

And this hive has plenty of bees to rescue.

"There's between 200,000 and 500,000 bees in that hive. So far, we've only removed 50,000," said Schumacher of Central Texas Bee Removal.

Honey bees are not usually considered dangerous but Schumacher said with that number of bees, if they were to start to feel under attack, things could get pretty nasty.

"Bad things can happen with very big bee hives," said Schumacher.

Central Texas Bee Removal is in its third year as a nonprofit organization funded by foundation grants.

They remove bees from houses in Houston for a suggested donation of $175 with the intention of keeping the creatures, vital for food pollination, out of harm's way and preventing people from getting stung at the same time.

Beekeepers come dressed in protective clothing, make an incision in the wall or cavity where the bees have taken hold, then remove the comb. The bees get rehomed on a plot at Texas 59 and I-10.

"It's very similar to a cow," said Schumacher. "If you have a bull that's in a field and no one goes out to take care of him or brush him or anything, he becomes a very dangerous animal, but if you put him in a smaller pen and brush him and look after him, he becomes less dangerous, we do that with bees."

Central Texas Bee Removal currently has two crews operating in Houston and plans to expand to five crews. That would be 10 removal experts in the metro area working to ensure wild bees got rehomed rather than killed.

Beehives will also soon be placed on top of the Omni hotel near Memorial Park. Experts say it's vital they are protected.

"Depending on what government agency you look at, between 42 and 85 percent of our food crops are pollinated by bees, so without honey bees, we wont have a whole lot of food," said Schumacher.

Wallace said he will visit the bees in their new home off highway 59.

"I tried to explain to them that they would be happier in their new home," he joked.