The Internet Is Freaking Out Over This Huge Beehive That Was Hiding Inside a Wall

Kelsey Mulvey
·2-min read
honey bees on hive frame
A Beekeeper Removed an Enormous Indoor Beehive visualspace - Getty Images


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A home's four walls might be designed to protect you from the outdoor elements, but what's lurking inside them can be anyone's guess. Just when we thought we'd seen it all—from dozens of stuffed animals to literal ancient cities hiding inside crawl spaces and under floorboards—Erika Thompson, a professional beekeeper at Texas Beeworks, introduced us to a fear we didn't even know we had: Giant beehives inside of your walls. That's right, hundreds of bees could be casually buzzing next to your fiberglass insulation.

In a now-viral Instagram story, the self-proclaimed Bee Lady says she was called in to remove a few bees that were buzzing around a client's home. But to her surprise (and delight!), she found six honeycomb rows inside the insulation that totaled several feet long.

Luckily, Thompson was able to quickly spot the queen bee, a feat she said is usually difficult for a hive of this size. After the queen bee was removed from harm's way—Thompson placed her in a storage clip for safekeeping—she was able to remove chunks of the hives by hand. The pro also created a bee bridge and used a little bit of smoke to gently guide the colony into a portable, manmade hive. Once the bees were out of the wall and in their new home, Thompson closed the box and moved them off the site.

We know Thompson said these bees were "gentle," but the thought of having a home infestation of any kind of insect seems totally terrifying—and we're not alone here. "How are you not terrified of grabbing them?" one commenter asked. "How do they not bite her?" another inquired. On the other hand, we appreciate how calmly Thompson handled and spoke about the bees in her video—it's clear she has a reverence for these small creatures that are so vital to our ecosystem.

If you are facing a similar bee problem at home, call your local beekeeper instead of an exterminator so they can ethically remove the bees without causing harm. And don't even think about taking on this task yourself. After all, isn't it better to be(e) safe than sorry?

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