Attleboro Beekeeper Saves Honey Bees from Extermination

Have you heard the buzz?

If you were anywhere near the old white barn on Pleasant Street this past weekend, you may have heard the buzzing sound of a honey bee hive being removed from inside the walls of the barn.

Local beekeeper Lisa Nason has enough bees of her own, which she uses to make homemade honey and other products such as lip balm, soaps and lotions, but she could not turn her back on a friend who called about a swarm of bees that found their way into the wall of their barn.

"I was asked by its owner how to remove honey bees," Nason said. "I told him not to exterminate them, that I will take care of them."

Nason's husband, Raymond, tried discouraging her from getting the honey bees, but that didn't stop her.

"My husband said, 'we have enough, we don't have time for this,' but for me, it's all about saving the honey bees and what I can contribute to this growing decline of honey bees. ... So, I told the owner we'd do it," said Nason, who is a member of the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association.

The Beekeepers Association, which has 200 active members, has a swarm collection committee that promotes members to get involved and provide this kind of service to people who would otherwise call an exterminator.

Nason's husband was right; they did have enough honey bees of their own. The Nasons decided to contact Dave and Allyson DeVeau who live on a farm in Douglas.

The DeVeaus set up their first hive in April, so Nason thought they could use a few more honey bees to expand on their apairy.

"They have over 12 fruit trees ranging from kiwi, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, hazelnut, blueberries, lime and lemon and they also have a large vegetable garden," Nason said. "They wanted honey to pollinate their bountiful land."

With great interest the DeVeaus offered to help the Nasons claim the bees and are ready to expand on their own hive, thanks to a local beekeeper and the folks at the old barn.

"It was a great experience and we all worked together as a team," an excited Allyson DeVeau said. "It took about 4 hours or so and it felt really good to save them from being exterminated.

"So far things look good," DeVeau said Tuesday. "We need to check for signs that we have the queen in a few days."

Swarms are a common occurrence between the months of May and July, according to the Beekeepers Association, and there are a few things people need to remember when they encounter a swarm in a tree, shed or barn. Don't kill them. Gauge the size of the swarm (size of a football, tennis ball or larger). Call a beekeeper. Take photos from a safe distance.