Specialists said the bee infestation could have been far worse if homeowner Darrell Murphy had waited to call.
FULSHEAR, Texas — A Fort Bend County family is finally breathing a sigh of relief after two weeks of living in fear because of a beehive nesting in the walls of their home.
The infestation, first shown Wednesday in a KHOU 11 exclusive, involved thousands of bees swarming the front of the Fulshear property.
Surveillance video captured homeowner Darrell Murphy running from a swarm of bees a few days ago.
On Thursday, specialists with ABC Home & Commercial Services successfully removed the hive from behind some bricks of an exterior wall near the front porch.
KHOU 11 cameras were rolling for the entire removal process.
First, the team suited up in protective gear and used a tiny camera to locate the hive inside the bricks. Once pinpointed, they carefully cut through the bricks to gain access to the bees and honeycomb.
“My technician cut out the brick, removed the brick out of the way, and again, [Murphy] caught it early, so there was not very much honeycomb,” Joseph Christopher, a branch manager for ABC Home & Commercial Services, said. “If it’s not noticed right away or people kind of wait, at that point, the hive can get fairly large and cause extensive damage to the home.”
Their main mission was to get the queen bee.
Once she was out, the technician vacuumed the rest of the bees.
“It helps to keep them from swarming and just covering us with bees everywhere,” Christopher explained.
Murphy suited up in a bee suit himself to witness the removal up close.
“I wanted to be a part of it, you know, this is my house,” he said.
Murphy said he is relieved that he no longer has to fear for his family’s safety.
“I’m very excited that the bees are gone. I can relax in my home at night, and I don’t have to worry if my wife is going to get stung or not,” he said.
Some stray bees may be buzzing around for the next couple of weeks, but experts say that’s normal.
Christopher emphasized the importance of acting quickly when big groups of bees are spotted frequently.
“My advice is to call us, especially if you’re seeing 50 to 100 of them swarming around in the same spot,” he said.
Experts also recommend sealing any cracks or openings in your walls to prevent bee infestations from starting in the first place.