Sep 1, 2006 12:12 am US/Central
Bees Threaten North Center Residents
Swarm Takes Over Tree, Curb
by Dana Kozlov
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Some people in the North Center neighborhood are dealing with a bunch of bees. Residents say the bees are taking over a tree and part of the sidewalk.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports that no one wants to get too close to them, and many residents believe that the city should make it their business to remove them.
"Yesterday the bees were out and about," said neighborhood resident Victor Zavala. "I was scared to come out of my house. That's how many bees there were."
Zavala lives about 20 feet from a large bee pile, but he is not the only one unnerved by it.
"It seems that if you step on a mass of honey bees, no good could come of that," said Kim Lutz, another resident.
There are also thousands of bees in a tree across the street. The tree is on a city parkway, the swarm on a city curb.
"We couldn't get anybody to come out and do anything about it last night," said resident Karen Duffy. "If you're allergic, that's deadly."
Residents say after numerous calls to various city entities, no one wants to do anything about it.
"I'm a little concerned about the kids on the block," said resident Michelle Ray. "There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood. I'd like the city to come out and actually get rid of [the bees]."
Ray said her family was even told that someone needed to get a beekeeper to remove the bees. The city has a beekeeper, but those services were not volunteered.
Still, hope may be on the horizon if you consider bees to be rodents.
"So we called rodent control and they said they would take care of it," said Zavala. "So I'm assuming that's their job. But they said they can't come out until Friday."
University of Illinois Entomology Professor Gene Robinson said it is wise to be cautious around bees, even if they do look like they are minding their own business. They can be hazardous if disturbed.
He said that a pile of bees on a sidewalk was definitely unusual and no one seems to know exactly why they are there.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
