Storm damage cleanup helps save giant honey bee hive

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A technician for AT&T got quite a surprise, as he was repairing storm damage Monday in west suburban Geneva. It was a giant hive of honey bees in a tree that had snapped.

Ken Hafeman says as he was about to repair a downed cable near Route 31 and Peyton Street, a woman told him to watch out for a hive that was inside a tree.

"When I walked back there and looked in the tree, I was just absolutely amazed, absolutely amazed. And the tree had just split in half, and the tree must have been hollowed out. They [the bees] must have been in there for some time, because the honey comb was quite large," Hafeman said.

Hafeman posted pictures of the beehive on Facebook, and that's when he learned just how big it was.

"Someone had referred me to an expert. I sent the expert the picture, and I said there's got to be 10,000 bees there, and she goes 'try about 40,000.' She goes 'looking at this picture I would say there's about 40,000.'"

Hafeman said the expert he spoke with agreed to help move the bees to a new location.

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