Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Today we’re just north of Olivedale, tackling a removal that proves even the best-laid plans can be upended by nature. We were called out to a massive brick pillar where a colony of African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) had made themselves at home.

Between a 12-foot height, a misplaced nest, and a Highveld thunderstorm rolling in, this rescue was a race against the clock.

The Plan: Expect the Unexpected

Our initial strategy was simple: remove the heavy concrete cap (plinth) at the top of the pillar. Usually, bees attach their comb to the highest point of a cavity to keep it secure.

• The Heavy Lift: Shifting that concrete cap was a mission in itself. We had to be incredibly careful—if the comb was attached to the lid and it snapped, the entire nest would have plummeted 12 feet to the bottom of the hollow pillar, making it impossible to retrieve.
• The Surprise: Once the cap was off, we realized the bees weren’t at the top. The nest was actually about a metre and a half down the column. We were looking at 10 bricks of empty space before we even hit the first piece of comb.

The Pivot: Bricks and Grinders

With the storm clouds darkening the sky and lightning flashing on the horizon, we had to rethink our approach. The only way to save this colony was a side-access cutout.

• Precision Cutting: We used an angle grinder and a drill to carefully remove specific bricks halfway down the pillar. This gave us a direct window into the heart of the hive.
• A Massive Colony: What we found was an impressive nest stretching over 3 feet (1 metre) long. The comb was very old and dark, which tells us these bees have been calling this pillar home for a long time.

Racing the Rain

As we started removing the comb, the first drops of a classic South African spring thunderstorm began to fall.

• Brittle Brood: We found excellent brood, eggs, and larvae, but the age of the comb made it brittle. We worked quickly to mount the large pieces of brood comb into frames to give the colony a fighting chance at rebuilding.
• The Vacuum Rush: We fired up the Bee Vac to collect the workers as fast as possible. In the tight, dusty space of a brick column, the vacuum is essential, but the moisture from the rain makes the bees stick to surfaces, making the extraction twice as hard.

Relocation to Farmall

We didn’t get every single bee—the rain eventually caught us and forced us to close up—but we successfully relocated the majority of the colony to our apiary in Farmall.

• The Verdict: Back at the apiary, we found a decent-sized colony. While it wasn’t our biggest rescue ever, the amount of healthy brood was fantastic.
• Spring Potential: There wasn’t much honey in the hive yet. Because of the late rains this year, the flowers are only just starting to bloom. In about a month, these bees will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of the nectar flow in their new, non-hollow home.

Lessons Learned

Every removal is a classroom. This job taught us that even if the entrance is low, the nest might be lower! More importantly, it reminded us to always keep one eye on the Johannesburg sky during spring.

Want to see the moment we shifted that heavy concrete cap?

Check out our Pillar Rescue Video to see the full “Cutout” process. Don’t forget to Subscribe and hit the Like button to join our mission of saving 1 million bee colonies!