SAGINAW — What happens when someone else's bees become your painful problem? That's what John Clapper is sorting through.
The fence of his Saginaw home backs up to a vacant lot. On that lot is a broken Charter Cable pedestal that made a perfect pre-fab condo for a colony of bees.
Clapper discovered this when his mower disturbed them. "They were hitting me all over," he said. "Leg, neck, arm, head."
When he put a ladder to the fence for a peek at the other side, they drove Clapper off the ladder. Ten or 15 stings later, he said he started calling Charter, and continued calling over the next several days.
At first, Clapper said Charter call-takers told him nothing could be done, but later others promised help.
He's not sure whether the company or someone else got to the bees, but the hive was mostly wiped out by Monday afternoon.
Clapper discovered this after a News 8 photographer pointed out a grapefruit-sized ball of bees hanging from one of Clapper's trees; the insects had migrated.
"That's a brand new problem," he said, just before mixing up big bucket of soapy water. His plan was to throw it on the bees and run for the back door. He said it was better than paying hundreds of dollars to an expert, as his neighbor did a few years ago.
A Charter representative told News 8 the company does remove bee hives. The insects can be a threat to residents and to workers. He said he was trying to determine whether a crew responded, but perhaps failed to notify neighbors.
The Charter spokesman promised a bee removal team would investigate on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, John Clapper's plan seems to have worked. His bees are gone — or dead. He said he doesn't like the idea of killing them, but he does like the idea of reclaiming his backyard.
Clapper said the bees seemed very aggressive, but at this point no tests have been done to determine whether they are Africanized honey bees.
Africanized bees have a similar appearance to the more docile European honey bees; the big difference is in their behavior.
Once disturbed, Africanized honey bees will sting until any threat leaves their territory, and that can be up to 100 feet away.
These bees are known to chase people and animals up to a quarter of a mile.
They are also known as "killer" bees, and were first found in Texas in the 1990s. The Africanized bees have now spread out across the southern United States.
If you are attacked by bees and are not wearing protective clothing, the only way out is to find cover, like a car, a house, or thick brush. Alternatively, exit the area the bees are trying to defend.
Do not attempt to avoid the bees by standing still or hiding.
E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com
