Texas beekeeper rescues nest of bees with bare hands, social media buzzes over video

AUSTIN, Texas (NewsNationNow) — A Texas landlord wanted to call an exterminator to get rid of a massive bee’s nest, but the tenant had another idea.

“Bees had been living in this backyard shed for at least two years. The landlord wanted to call an exterminator, but the family who lived here wanted to save the bees so they called me.”
Erika Thompson, the owner of Texas Beeworks

Beekeeper Erika Thompson rescued the nest of bees with her bare hands. She brought in a new hive and scooped the bees into it, even isolating the queen bee to keep her safe.

She posted the entire process on Instagram and TikTok and millions of people have watched it.

Nichole Berlie: The thing with it, Erika, is you are doing these removals without — or it appears to be — without any protective gear, is that right?

Thompson: That’s right. I always wear protective gear when I need to. You know, that was one case where the bees were so gentle and docile, and I could work alongside them without wearing gear.

After years of doing bee work on nights, weekends, and even lunch breaks, she quit her office job in 2019 to become a full-time beekeeper and hasn’t looked back.

Her company’s mission is “hives before honey.”

“Texas Beeworks is in the business of helping bees and beekeepers thrive. We focus on the health and wellness of the hive, and we manage every Texas Beeworks colony with the mission of maintaining a healthy honeybee population. Our goal is to increase the bee population by placing and maintaining hives across the Lone Star State and by raising awareness about honeybees through education, advocacy, and public outreach”

Watch the full interview with Thompson on NewsNation Early Edition Friday at 6 p.m. (EDT) on NewsNation.