Help, in need of advice!

16 years ago

Hello, I live in Abilene Texas and I need some advice.

My story goes like this, we moved into a rental home, did a lot of work on it (repainted walls/filled cracks/etc.) and finally started to make it feel like home. When spring hit, we noticed bees coming out of a hole inbetween the wood/brick right above our backdoor. I'm very allergic to bees so I hopped on the internet to find a bee keeper. I couldn't find any. So I called the pest control and they told me that it was a health hazard and that my landlord was responsible. This is when the nightmare got worse. My landlord was very understanding and told me it would be taken care of by monday, only for our discussion to be interrupted by her son(40+? years old) about how it's a shame to kill honey bees and they'll leave me alone if I leave them alone etc.

I explained to him that while I admire nature, that due to my allergies that they are a hazard to my health because all it takes is one sting. He got very mad and told his mother that HE would take care of it and call a beekeeper and tear down the walls to get them out. Well, it's been two weeks since then and I approached him about it and he told me that they still haven't called back and that if he doesn't get a call within 2 days that he'll try using mothballs. He said "to be honest, I think you're too worried"

The bees are getting so bad that I can't open my backdoor because they swarm at it the moment it opens, I can't leave my dog outside for fear of him being stung, and I can't even enjoy the porchhouse outside. I feel like a prisoner in my own house! Now I don't know if this is a money issue, or what, but I need advice on what to do and how to approach this situation. We put a lot of time into this place and I really like the house, and I'm afraid if we push him too far, we'll end up being forced out when our lease agreement is up. He's already violated the lease contract by not having this taken care of.

I've tried reading the web on beekeepers and it says that most wont attempt to get the nest if it's inside the wall of the house, the pest control that inspected it said that the hive was the size of a basketball probably.

As we speak, about 100 bee's are swarming my backdoor. I don't know what to do.

Any advice is appreciated.

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Comments (3)

thisbud4u
16 years ago
Sounds like you need a lawyer, and pronto. In my area there's a "Tenant's Legal Center". They charged me $90 (in advance) but they're real experts and straightened my problem out with a single phone call. If there isn't a tenant's legal center, there are certainly lawyers who specialize in representing renters. The internet is a great source for this. For example, I just used google to find lawyers in Abilene, typing in "find a lawyer Abilene Texas".

Secondly, the fact that you haven't been stung yet suggests fairly strongly that these bees are not africanized, so it would indeed be a shame to kill them if you can find a bee-removal service. Our local TV station has a link on their website for a local company that relocates bees--too far away for you (I'm in San Diego) but if you call your local TV station, they may be able to help you. Or better yet, use Google. I just typed in "beekeepers Abilene Texas" and found lots of entries--not a single one in Abilene, but maybe some of the other cities listed are close enough that they'd come out for an extra fee. For example, there's one in Dallas: Aaron Bee Company (972) 980-0923. Why not give them a call and ask if they'll come out. Or you could just browse through the listings at this URL:
http://www.yellowbook.com/Category/beekeepers/Texas/Abilene/

Hope this helps.
tonybeeguy
16 years ago
Have they bee identified as honey bees? If they are honey bees, to have them properly removed, especially if they are well established, would involve opening the wall from the outside. You can't just kill the colony, because that would leave combs of honey in the wall, which would create problems with ants after the bees are dead, bees robbing contaminated honey, or more bees eventually taking up residence. If there is a beekeeper in the area that does removal, there would be a charge to open the wall, remove the bees and all of the comb. The homeowner would then be responsible for hiring a carpenter to repair the wall. Before going the lawyer route, I would check at city hall. Many cities have a housing board which will deal with problems or disputes between landlords and tenants. It would seem to me that if you put something in writing as proof that you have tried to get the landlord to deal with the problem, and then you were stung, the landlord would be liable. It would be in everyone's best interest for the landlord to take care of the problem. If he won't hire someone to deal with the problem, you may be able to and deduct the cost from rent, but it would be best to check with the proper authority before doing anything.
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usmc_recon
14 years ago
So what has happened?