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Swarm Of Bees, 80,000 Strong Leaves Wallkill Couple Stranded And Shaken

WALLKILL, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A huge colony of bees caused quite a fright for one family in Wallkill, Orange County.

"I couldn't get out of my truck one day because there was a big, black swarm like something you'd see in a move," Brian Paffenroth told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock.

Paffenroth said that he's known that bees were making themselves right at home in his home for at least a decade.

He never knew how many were buzzing about, until he cut down two huge pine trees. A swarm 80,000 strong left him and his fiancee stranded and shaken.

"I couldn't go anywhere," Maria Nieves said.

Nieves is allergic. When only a small percentage of the colony moved out it was Marcel's bee farm to the rescue.

"Originally, the whole side of the house was filled with bees," Beekeeper, Carl Witschard said.

Witschard, his brother Marcel Jr., and their witty father Marcel make it their mission to relocate the important pollinators.

"Save the bees, save the world," Witschard said.

This week, Paffenroth's colony has kept them busy. First the brickwork went bye-bye, then they cut away comb, and vacuumed the bees to move them into this beebox. The queen is safely inside.

At maximum capacity the beekeepers estimate that the colony housed 500,000 bees.

The average colony is busy with 40,000 bees. This one boasted more than 10 times that.

More than five gallon buckets full of honey comb were filled, and carried away, but a little was left behind to enjoy.

Witschard stresses that bees do more than make honey.

"I will pick a bee up, hold her in my hand, and kiss her," he said.

It seems they're decent kissers, but most importantly they pollinate more than 140 crops, the stuff we eat.

 

 

 

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