A professional Texan beekeeper named Erika Thompson put the world in awe after the release of a now-viral video in which she moved a giant beehive from the floorboards of a person’s shed.
Erika’s work involves moving beehives from undesired places, but watching her do it with no protective gear on is simply impressive (and quite scary).
“This wasn’t an extraordinary removal or an atypical one by any means,” she told the BBC. “Bees are often looking for a new place to build a hive, and these backyard sheds give them a really good environment where they’re protected from the elements.”
At the start of the clip, Erika can be seen using a smoker to calm the bees.
When they sense danger, they normally release a sort of alarm pheromone for others to pick up, and this can cause mass panic in the hive. Smoke interferes with their sense of smell temporarily so they cannot detect the pheromones, and thus remain calm.
While they are calm, Erika effortlessly pulls up the floorboards covered with bees and places the combs into the wooden hive. The best thing about it is how she handles the bees with no protection whatsoever, barehandedly scooping them up like they’re made of liquid and then simply shaking them off at their newly prepared home.
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In her social media videos, Erika explains that she does in fact wear protective gear but only if the creatures are angered. However, when they’re peaceful, the equipment makes it harder to move the bees and increases the chances of them getting angered. As long as she keeps calm and is careful, everything works out well.
Also, check out Erika’s wonderful video, in which she rescues a bee from the brink of death.
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“One of the most incredible things about seeing the reaction to my videos has been just everybody’s shock and awe at what is really just a normal Tuesday for me,” she told the BBC.
Honey bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem and thus we must do everything possible to preserve them.
This is why people like Erika are important and she does us all a great service by taking care of and handling the bees with care.
The Texas Beeworks TikTok videos have all amassed millions of views, as people watch in astonishment Erika’s skills of handling bees in ways that most of us would consider life-threatening. But helping people adopt a more friendly attitude towards bees is part of her mission.
“Species of all types of bees and insects are incredibly important to the diversity of our ecosystem and to our food system,” she told the BBC. “I hope that by showing people the incredible world of honey bees, that hopefully, they can learn something about them and maybe have a new understanding and respect for them.”
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