COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A decades-old bee colony in German Village is no longer living in the place it once called home; rather, it's been relocated after one person allegedly reported a sting.
The community has long referred to the sycamore tree at the corner of S. Sixth and Lear streets as the 'Bee Tree', but a new sign posted on it this week says they were moved, and many neighbors are not happy.
"Being the person that had to take that away, that was kind of hard," founder of The Bee Collective Luke Howard said. "And then also this time of year is just the wrong time to do it."
The Bee Collective is a Columbus group focused on pollinator habitats and education. He said relocating the bees in the spring would have been the ideal time to provide the most opportunity for success.
"They really get started in the spring and by this time of year, they are hunkering down for the wintertime," Howard said. "So not only is this a kind of a hard process that can take a while, this time of year they really don't want to move."
Howard was the one called in from the condo complex where the tree sits. They notified him that the city ordered the complex to remove the bees.
"They absolutely did not want them gone at all," Howard said. "It was the city that said, 'Hey, you have to get rid of them. There has been a complaint and there's no fighting this. It just has to be done.'"
Columbus schools may cut busing for high schoolersHoward said it took him about a month and a half to relocate all the bees into his care. He posted a sign on their former home this week that reads, in part, "It saddened me to take on this job, but alas, it had to be done." He said he felt he owed the German Village community an explanation.
"Bees are very, very important for the environment because they help pollinate the plants that we have," Howard said.
Now residents are pushing back. Several neighbors NBC4 spoke to off-camera are questioning whether one complaint should uproot years of peaceful coexistence. News spread quickly on social media, with many expressing their disappointment in the decision.
"It'd be nice if we could lead with more curiosity about what's happening versus just, hey, this sting was awful, and I want these things removed," Howard said. "It's like, this thing is awful. What happened? How important are bees? Should we protect them? Do I need to report them?"
Howard said he hopes what happened will spark more conversation and curiosity about how to coexist with pollinators.
Ohio lawmakers enacted property tax relief, but it may raise taxes by millions"It can be one of those things where we have this loss of the honeybees, but we could create much more abundance for all the other native pollinator species that we have," Howard said.
Howard created the "Beecoming Home Project" with Dr. Sarah Scott four years ago, where they invite artists locally and from across the globe to collaborate with an unexpected creative partner: honey bees. Their exhibit showcases what the meaning of home means for us as humans and our kin we share this planet with. The bees will now become a part of that project next summer.
"The goal is through this bummer of a moment to create an opportunity for the community to come together and create something cool, create some art, create a way to commemorate," Howard said. "It's in that vein of let's create a silver lining in this situation that clearly a lot of us are upset about."
The Beecoming Home Exhibit opens Saturday, Oct. 11, at 700 Bryden Rd. Gallery. Meantime, anyone can visit the bees at The Bee Collective, located at 410 W. Town St.
NBC4 reached out to the city for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Hence then, the article about beehive removal in german village has residents buzzing was published today ( ) and is available on NBC4 ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Beehive removal in German Village has residents buzzing )
Also on site :
- ‘Free Bert’ Review: Bert Kreischer Strips Away the Shirtless Party Boy Persona, but Also the Laughs, in New Netflix Comedy
- South Africa pushes for renewable energy investment
- 2010s Country Singer Announces New Dates for Live In Concert