And, it was full of honeybees, so the Urbana mayor called on a local beekeeper.
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“They are not allowed to kill them ... so they wanted to know if we could cut out that log and get the bees out of there,” Iman said.
Anyone who needs help with swarm removal should not spray it with anything, including a garden hose. Check for a list of local beekeepers from the West Central Ohio Beekeepers Association and the SouthWestern Ohio Beekeepers Association.
Urbana street crews cut the log full of honeybees and loaded it into Iman’s truck. Iman has about a hundred colonies on his family’s farm in West Liberty. He estimates the log has between 40,000 and 50,000 bees inside.
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“I drilled a hole here and a hole here, give them another way in and out,” said Iman, who will travel up to 40 miles from West Liberty for a honeybee swarm removal.
“Anytime I can get free bees, that helps out a lot,” Iman said, particularly because honeybees are having a difficult time surviving.
“I’d much rather see the tree still up ... and the bees in it ... and doing good,” he said. “This way at least we got something out of it.”
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