Africanized honey bees killed two dogs and attacked people in a McAllen neighborhood on Wednesday before the city intervened on Thursday.
The city received a call on Thursday morning to report the bees from a vacant townhome residence on the 3800 block of North 7th Court in McAllen.
“They were very aggressive,” Michelle Rivera, McAllen’s assistant city manager, said Thursday afternoon.
Africanized honey bees can respond to activity near their colonies with an increased number of stinging bees over much greater distances, according to the Center for Invasive Species Research. They can be life-threatening for young, old and disabled people, as well as for pets and livestock.
The bee removal process was complicated by an unwilling homeowner who did not want to grant the city access to the vacant residence. Rivera said the city managed to receive a warrant within hours to help the contracted company, R9 Hive & Honey from Lyford, gain access to the hive.
Devin Johnston from R9 Hive & Honey was told two dogs and some people were attacked on Wednesday. The dogs died after receiving dozens of stings, she said.
Johnston also noted the bees had chased and attacked the dogs in a separate property.
Although in some cases bees attack when a lawn is being mowed, Johnston said she did not know what set the bees off on Wednesday.
After inspecting the home, Johnston found the active hive inside even though someone had used foam in an attempt to cover one of the entrances to the colony.
Once inside, Johnston had to cut part of the ceiling off where the bees had constructed their elaborate colony.
“There were 12 different layers of honeycomb, so it was a pretty good size,” Rivera said.
Johnston estimated the hive was about three to four feet large and may have been there for up to two years.
It took about three hours to deconstruct the hive.
Residents can call the fire department to report beehives if they are in a non-residential area, but when the hive is suspected to be in a residence, Rivera said the city encourages the public to call code enforcement office at (956) 681-1900.
The line is open 24 hours.
