Mysterious Invasions of Bees

Last Updated on June 2, 2020 by

The recent invasion of bees to one Roseville California home left the owners shaken, but this is only one example of a mysterious problem that has struck several homeowners over the years.  Earlier this year there was a similar story of a man living with bees, but with a far different solution.  It’s one thing if you can’t live with bees, but could someone train bees to attack on command?  It is definitely not the case with the homeowner in Roseville California, but another case in September of last year illustrated just that.

Alan Steadd first reported his horrifying honey encounter this summer, but says the infestation has only gotten worse since then.  It might sound nice to some to have honey dripping from the walls, but to Steadd the image was one of pure horror – like something out of the Exorcist.  Despite calling an exterminator on numerous occasions, the bees just keep coming back.  And each time they are more numerous.

The keeping of bees has been around for quite some time, but generally these re domesticated bees and kept only under specific circumstances by trained professionals who have been beekeeping for years.  But sometimes homeowners decide to keep bees even if they are wild.  It’s rare, but occasionally these rogue beekeepers will even report that the insects do not sting them while cohabiting with their mysterious newfound pets.  Of course it’s also not rare for the bees to sting neighbors.

So when Mr. Ngwenya of Zimbabwe came to the attention of the media back in September of 2009, it was clear there was something strange going on.  Ngwenya had been cohabiting with hundreds of thousands of bees in his house for years.  Neighbors reported him complaining to them at night, telling them to turn down their radios because the bees couldn’t sleep.  And there were also reports that some people around the village were attacked by the bees even though they never harmed Mr. Ngwenya.

Bees communicate by a combination of dances and pheromones.  Is it possible Mr. Ngwenya has been the recipient of some of these pheromones by the bees as they prefer his presence and consider him safe?  After being in such close proximity to so many of them for so long it seems possible that they become familiar with him and even considered him an ally to the hive.

But with so many bees in danger of losing their place in the advanced ecosystem of Earth, Mr. Ngwenya is not the only one agreeing to keep wild bees on their property.  Sentiments of bees have changed over the years suggesting some are appreciated and even at times assisted by those living with wild bees.  Of course the nature of these insects cannot be underestimated either.  If angered there is little doubt that bees re fully capable of defending themselves and their queen, and those allergic to the stings should pay heed to that fact.