Bee invasion in Third Ward home

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A southeast Houston home has been spared after bees threatened to take it over.

93-year-old Rafael Delgado has called the yellow house in the intersection of Chapman and Campbell his home for more than fifty years in the Third Ward, but the last couple of years have not been so pleasant.

A beehive is buzzing in the walls, right next to where Delgado sleeps.

'They would've came through the bottom of the bed and gotten him in his sleep," said Claude Griffin, owner of Gotcha Pest Control. Bees have even made their way inside on occasion.

"Had to keep an eye on him, make sure he was okay, if they did get inside of the house...that's what we're trying to get before they do get in there," said Rafael Cantu, the grandson of Delgado.

Gotcha Pest Control took the call from Cantu and agreed to remove the bees free of charge.

"You gotta be careful man," said Griffin. "Bees are getting just as tough as they were last year, but they're tougher this year because all of the beehives have been floating down the river."

"We had like Easter, matter of fact, this past weekend, we couldn't do nothing on that side because of all the bees, so try to keep the kids away from there," said Cantu.

Thousands of bees swarming as the hive, rich with honey, was exposed. Columns of honeycomb were removed inside the wall, which has served as a perfect bee box for this hive.

"It's costly to do bees," said Griffin. "Bees are thousands of dollars, man, to do them. Sometimes it takes five hours, six hours, seven hours, ten hours, three days," said Griffin.

Fortunately, this house only took a couple of hours to treat as the bees were captured safely to be transported elsewhere and continue their work for the queen.

The beehive removal serves as a lesson to let an expert know when you first start seeing bees swarm and if a hive is near, protect those outdoor pets, tell your neighbors and make sure your house is sealed off properly.

"I really appreciate them coming out and helping us out, especially for his sake," said Cantu.

"He's 93 years old, the man knows more than we forgot," said Griffin. "You gotta think about it for a minute."

"Thank you very, very much," said Delgado. "Yes, thank you. Maybe no more come in."