Honey, I’m home: Massive beehive found in house’s window blinds
Residents of Jordan Valley home were unaware of find, but vigilant neighbors called apiary owner who made discovery and moved hive containing 35 pounds of honey
A beekeeper dispatched to a kibbutz in the Jordan Valley last week found a massive hive in an unlikely location: the window blind container of a residential home.
Even more surprisingly, the residents of the home where the hive was found had not even noticed the hustling bees in the box above a window where the rolled-up shades are stored.
It was neighbors of the family who called the bee rescuer after noticing a massive presence of honeybees outside the house in the Emek Hayarden Regional Council.
Yoash Sadeh, who runs the apiaries at nearby Kibbutz Afikim, quickly spotted the hive inside the shades container and began transferring the large hive to a more appropriate location — a process that took two days because of the size of hive, which had produced 16 kilograms (35 pounds) of honey.
“Honey bee for years have suffered from morbidity and space reduction problems as well as increased pesticide use — all of which have caused the disappearance of many hives,” Sadeh told Channel 12.
He stressed the importance of rescuing such bees and transferring their hives to more appropriate climates rather than simply using pesticides.
“In Israel there is great awareness of the importance of the bee, and it must be kept in mind that [it is essential to] all agricultural crops,” Sadeh added.