Thousands of bees are nested in a giant bee hive in the backyard of a Glendale home, posing a potential danger to people in the area. Right now, the cost to remove it is a big problem for the homeowner.
Richard Kenyon recently moved in and spotted the beehive up in his tree about five months ago, but it's likely been there for years.
"That's like a little dog house up there--I mean, it's outrageous. It's a sight to see, but it's definitely a sore sight to see at this point," Kenyon said.
He once tried spraying the bees, but that didn't go so well.
"They started getting pretty crazy chasing me through the yard. I thought they were going to sting me, but they were actually just tagging me in the back of my neck. I ended up jumping in the pool," Kenyon said.
Once bees have established themselves in a hive, removing them becomes more difficult, according to Dave Petersen, president of the Beekeeper's Association of Central Arizona. In this situation, he doesn't recommend the homeowner remove it himself.
"Up there, not a chance--that's not easy," Petersen said looking at a picture of the beehive.
Members of his organization will often remove a swarm of bees or a beehive for a low cost and relocate the bees.
In this case, his advice--pay a professional to take care of it to prevent a dangerous situation.
"The thing will fall down on the ground, and splat! And then you have bees falling all over the place. It's a really tough and delicate thing," Petersen said.
Since Kenyon's spotted the beehive, he's been trying to get it down, knowing the bees can be dangerous for his family and everyone in the area--but he's on his own to cover the cost. His homeowner's insurance won't cover it, and the fire department can only respond when bees pose an immediate danger.
"We're a one-income house. I've got a wife, I've got cars, house payment, two boys--$1,300 is a little excessive," Kenyon said.
Kenyon said that if he can't raise the money to get a bee removal company out, he's going to try to find a way to remove them himself.
