NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes shadowed a bee remover for a busy day on the job.
Spring season means the bees are back in full force.
It's J.R. Bees founder Jesse Adcock's busy season, which can mean up to eight jobs in a day.
“We've got a report of a beehive infestation inside of a water meter box here," Adcock said as looked down into the open meter lid. He suspected the person went to read the meter saw the hive inside and got spooked.
About 15,000 honeybees were nestled in the box. Adcock began the removal by lighting a smoker filled with pine needles. The smoke covers up the alarm pheromones bees use to communicate when something's attacking the hive. It also distracts them so they’re less likely to sting.
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Jesse got stung at least eight times, mostly on his fingers.
“I didn’t even feel that one," Adcock said looking down at a stinger sticking out of his finger. "I just saw it.”
Bee season is off to a busy start for Adcock. His most common call is for hives tucked into the roof.
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“Another common one right now is bees getting into chimneys," he said. "So, people hear a buzz through the fireplace, and they can see maybe bees entering up at the top.”
If you find a bee hive inside your home, Adcock suggested sealing off the area with cardboard and painter's tape until a professional can come and move them.
Adcock almost never suggests trying to remove a hive by yourself, partially because all feral San Diego bees have African hybridized genes and tend to get more defensive as the season progresses.
“Once they store more honey in, they become a lot more protective of that," Jesse said. "That's when you start running into more defensive colonies and have some more sting incidents happening.”
If you find a stray bee or two flying around your home and really need to get rid of them, you can suck them up in your vacuum, Adcock said.
