Un-bee-leviable: Bee hive takes over Montgomery County business, owner decides to ‘save the bees’

CENTERVILLE — Bees forced a business to close for two days in Montgomery County and also resulted in a massive bee rescue effort.

It’s not unusual to see honey bees around the Miami Valley, but when they enter a business it can become a bit of a problem.

A building in Centerville is designed to be a quiet place where a psychologist can see patients.

Now, it’s being opened up after a huge hive of honey bees was discovered.

“I had no idea this was an enormous undertaking, I had no clue,” Dr. Kathy Platoni said.

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Platoni said a neighbor noticed bees flying around a hole where an electrical component came loose and dropped.

Then electricians and beekeepers confirmed she had a huge hive inside her walls.

Despite this Platoni was adamant about not exterminating the bees because of the “Save the Bees” campaign.

“They are endangered, our entire ecosystem relies on honey bees,” Platoni.

Platoni said her research shows one of every three bites of food consumed is a result of products pollinated by bees.

“The vast majority of melons, tomatoes, anything that has a flower,” Platoni explained.

Shanna Carn and her partners from Empire Termite and Pest Control took on the job.

They had to open up the spot where the bees were coming out of and asses the hive.

“Thankfully the bees went straight up and not out,” Carn said.

An up-close look shows hundreds, possibly thousands of bees.

The crew was looking for a queen — but tracking her down in a hive of thousands of bees isn’t easy.

The company and Platoni said the expensive project is worth it to save the small pollinators.

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