A family from Maskwacis, Alta., says their prayers have been answered after a beekeeper volunteered his services to help them get rid of not one, not two, but three beehives inside their home.
Henry Thomas, head beekeeper with Henry’s Honey, estimates 500,000 bees were living in and around the Brunos’ home. His friend removed a swarm from the family’s apple tree, and he took three colonies out of the ceiling, walls and space underneath the chimney.
Brenda Bruno said she moved into the home 27 years ago, and the bees set up shop about three years later.
“We’ve just learned to deal with them,” she explained Monday.
About 15 years ago, the family tried to get someone to safely remove the bees, but Bruno said they couldn’t afford the costs.
Over the years, bee stings have become regular household hazards. Eventually, Bruno developed an allergy.
“The last time I got stung, I got hives, started getting shortness of breath, called the ambulance,” she said.
The reaction is even worse for her young daughter. At 11 years old last fall, she suffered a health emergency.
“She was in the basement and she stepped on a bee. We already knew she was allergic because she did get stung a few times before that. We had Benadryl ready for her,” Bruno said.
But when the girl was stung a second time that night, the Benadryl didn’t cut it.
Bruno recalled her daughter turning red, her eyes swelling shut as she struggled to breathe. Her family rushed her to meet an ambulance.
“Approximately 16 times they tried to get her veins as she was going into anaphylactic shock. They called Stars Air Ambulance and put them on standby,” Bruno recalled.
Her daughter survived the ordeal, but for Bruno, it was a sign something needed to change. She recently took to social media, begging for help with her bee infestation.
Thomas and a few of his friends answered the call, willing to help for free.
“Knowing that people are living in this house, the job had to be done, not just for the bees but for the safety of the occupants,” he said.
He logged a full day at the home, pulling out honeycomb and vacuuming up bees on Sunday. Thomas was back at it Monday.
“I found this massive hive that’s been there for years. It was about four feet long and two-and-a-half feet wide. Just covered in bees, honey,” he said.
The sheer amount of bees shocked him.
“I thought I was going to be biting off more than I could chew,” he laughed.
He said in the six years he’s been a beekeeper, this is the craziest infestation he’s seen.
Thomas said he plans to rehome the bees near his own honey farm, treat them for mites and help prepare them for winter. If they survive, he hopes they’ll produce honey for him next year.
Bruno can’t wait to have a bee-free home.
“I’m just grateful. I’m sure I’ll feel some peace,” she said.
The bees did significant damage to the home, however. Thomas said he’ll try to cover up the holes as best he can, but the Brunos have a GoFundMe page set up to collect donations for the repairs.
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