Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Tonight, we’re in a quiet Johannesburg suburb to solve a problem that has kept a homeowner away from their pool maintenance for months. A colony of African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) has turned a plastic pool pump cover into a high-functioning metropolis.

These bees have been here since September, making them well-established. In the world of beekeeping, a pump cover is a “microclimate” dream: it’s shaded, undisturbed, and enclosed—the perfect starter home for a spring swarm.

The Challenge: A Nest Built Into the Lid

This removal was a true “beekeeping conundrum.”

• The Structural Trap: Unlike a wall where you can cut around the nest, these bees built their comb directly onto the underside of the pump lid.
• Delicate Lifting: We couldn’t just yank the lid off. Every centimetre we lifted risked tearing the interconnected comb. With slow, deliberate movements, we managed to open it, revealing a massive nest stretching across the entire underside of the lid and down the sides.

Why Africa’s Bees are Different

While we worked, it was a reminder of why the scutellata is such a survivor.

• Rapid Adaptation: Evolved in harsh climates, they build comb faster and swarm more often (up to 10 times a year!) compared to European bees.
• High Defensive Instincts: They are quick to mobilize, but as you can hear in the video, they settled down significantly once we switched to red lights, which are less disruptive to their vision than white light.

Technical Extraction: The “Nursery” First

We deployed our custom low-suction bee vacuum to collect the workers, but the real heart of the mission is the brood comb.

• Preserving the Future: We carefully cut the brood sections—some larger than a standard wooden frame—and secured them with elastic bands into new frames.
• The Queen Factor: A healthy Queen can lay 1,500 eggs a day. By keeping the brood in its original orientation and moving it quickly, we ensure the next generation survives the move.

Relocation to the Blue Gums

After cleaning the pump housing to remove every trace of wax and propolis (to prevent future swarms from being attracted to the scent), we transported the colony to our apiary.

• The Reunion: Beneath a canopy of Blue Gum trees, we released the bees from the vacuum chamber. The unmistakable scent of their own rescued brood pheromones helped them reorient almost immediately.
• The Verdict: This was a very strong colony—likely upwards of 3,000 to 5,000 bees. With a population that size and their brood intact, there is a very high chance they will stay and flourish in their new permanent hive.

Want to see the moment the Queen was reunited with her workers?

Check out our Latest Rescue Video for the full release at the apiary. Don’t forget to Subscribe and hit the Like button to help us protect our local pollinators!