News 12 at 6, April 25, 2008

MARTINEZ--We've told you about honeybees disappearing across the country and we've told you that no one knows exactly why.

One Columbia County family recently discovered it has more than its share of them. Several million to be more precise and all of them were hidden in the walls of the house.

Some estimates say a third of honeybees in the U.S. have disappeared for reasons scientists don't really understand. That's why when a huge hive was discovered, it was important to remove the bees, but also to save them.

In an ordinary house on an ordinary road in an ordinary neighborhood, there is an unordinary problem.

A honeybee colony living in the ceiling and not just a few.

"Probably a couple million bees in here." said Big Bear Trapping Service's Jason Rehr.

Jason is no stranger to bees. He's been in the business for 15 years and this latest colony takes the cake.

"This is the mamma jamma here. The biggest one I've ever seen." he said.

Millions and millions of bees inside, coming in from the outside, that have made this house their home or hive to be more precise. And there's more honey than you probably have ever seen.

But these bees won't be killed, they're going home with Jason. That's because huge numbers of honey bees are disappearing across the country. Whole colonies are dying off for reasons that aren't completely understood.

And that's trouble, because honeybees play a huge role in helping grow the food we eat.

"If all the honeybees died, we'd only last 2 to 3 years on earth because honey bees are the biggest cross pollinators for our food." Jason said.

The house should be bee-free before long. And hopefully Jason will find these bees a new, safer home.

If you spot bees near your home, don't try to remove them yourself. Call a professional and then have your home resealed by a contractor to make sure bees don't have a way inside.