Hundreds of honeycombs of bees were found in the washing machine, and they have been busy making “huge” honeycombs.
Professional beekeeper Erika Thompson often shares her bee removal work on social media because of her efforts to “save bees”.
Thompson is the founder and owner of Texas Beeworks in Austin. He is often asked to save beehives that have been set up in the toilets, under the sink, tennis courts and even the tree of singer Jason Derulo.
But this is a A recent swarm of bees clips After sharing it last month, it has moved into a washing machine that attracts audiences.Video can be watched here.
The video has been viewed more than 40 million times and proved so popular that people began to share their own copycat versions, which Thompson shared on her page.
She captioned the video: “A washing machine full of bees!” As she explained in the TikTok video and the full version on YouTube, the device became the backstory of the house of bees.
“This washing machine was reused and used as a compost bin…until the bees decided to move in and build a hive there! The homeowner opened the lid a few days ago and was stung, so I was called to give these cute A new habitat for the bees,” she said.
Thompson revealed that these insects have been living in the machine for nearly a year after the owner decided to “upgrade” it.
She talked with people through a delicate process. She said: “I carefully lifted the lid and found a beautiful honeycomb filled with honey and very gentle bees. When I looked inside, I saw layer after layer. Fresh honeycomb. The bees have worked so hard to build this honeycomb, and I want to do my best to keep it for them.
“So I started to remove the outermost part of the hive with nectar and honey. Then I reached the center of the hive, which is the brood nest. This is where the queen lays her eggs and where the little bees are born. Everything I removed was washing machine The contents will be directly returned to the bees in the new hive.”
She described these honeycombs as “huge” and said: “But these combs are very big, so I had to cut them in half to fit the wooden frame of the new honeycomb. I fixed each comb to one with a rubber band. Frame it up. Then I put the comb in a new honeycomb.”
The bees still seemed unwilling to leave, so Thompson helped them—literally.
“Next I started scooping bees from the washing machine And put them in a new honeycomb. As a professional beekeeper, the most important part of my job is to be able to understand the behavior of bees. I can see that these bees feel very comfortable with me when we work together,” she said.
Thompson is done Remove bees without any protective equipment or gloves, Later explained in the comments: “That was in the 90s, I spent a total of several hours outside. So for me, I am more comfortable without wearing a suit.”
She confirmed: “I always wear protective gear when I need it.”
But Thompson is still looking for the most important element in the hive-the queen bee. When removed, she has a queen clip on her shirt, so she can safely identify the leader.
When she dug out most of the hive, she said: “After taking out most of the comb from the washing machine, I looked around and suddenly I saw the queen bee behind the washing machine. She is a strong and beautiful queen. So I put her in In a clip to keep her safe, I put her in a new hive.
“It seems that most of the bee colonies have moved outside of the washing machine, so I used my smoker to use the small bee bridge I made for them to drive them into the new beehive. I scooped a few more bees into the new beehive. In the hive. New hive. Then I left the new hive there all afternoon. When I came back before sunset, most of the bees had moved into the new hive. So I loaded the bees into my truck and we drove back. Home.”
After loading the truck, she returned home and confirmed that the bees are welcome to stay forever. She added: “I only have enough sunshine left, but I can make them settle in my new home on the apiary. This is another great day to save the bees.”
In a separate video, Thompson talked about the risk factors in her work, she said: “People always want to know how I stay so calm when working with bees, but in fact, when you approach a swarm of wild bees, you The only thing you can do is to stay calm and move carefully.”
Many people praise Thompson’s work in protecting species, and bees are the main pollinator and an important part of the ecosystem and are being threatened.
Jennifer E. Crawford wrote: “Thank you for sharing this with us, your work is so good! Witnessing is a joy.”
But Thompson has been criticized in the past, accused of falsifying her videos, while other beekeepers have criticized her methods.
@Lahoneybeerescue claimed that Thompson used her outfit and lack of safety equipment to promote bad practices in a clip shared earlier this year.
In a video that appears to have been deleted, the competitor beekeeper said: “What she is doing, opening the hives with her hair down, wearing dark clothes that expose her skin, is dangerous.
“When she first analyzed the hive, she didn’t show that she was wearing protective gear. She showed great politeness to take off the comb that her husband had cut for her.”
@Lahoneybeerescue’s TikTok and Twitter The account appears to have been deleted, and Instagram account indicates that it is a “file”.This Google The institution’s list indicates that it has been permanently closed.
Although bees are different from bumblebees, they are the two most common bee species, and the number of this species has fallen sharply across the United States.
“Due to habitat loss, global warming, pesticides, and mono-crop agriculture, their numbers have fallen sharply in the United States. The loss of bees and other threatened pollinators may not only harm the world economy, but also endanger its ecosystems,” Student Protection Association warn.
Earlier this year, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition requesting that the American Hornet be protected by the Endangered Species Act. A press release announcing the petition stated that the number of bees across the United States has fallen by 89% in the past 20 years.
Entomologist Jesse Taylor Say“We ask President Biden to become a hero and come forward to save the American Hornet from extinction. There is no doubt that human activities have pushed this bee to extinction, so we have the ability to wake up, reverse course and save it.
“But in the later stages of the game, it will use the powerful tools provided only by the Endangered Species Act to complete the work. Otherwise, we risk losing this iconic part of the American landscape forever.”
Weekly newspaper Thompson has been contacted for comments.
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