SKIPPACK, Pa. — The Weaver couple purchased an 1872 farmhouse and were warned by the previous owner that bees resided in the walls.
The new homeowners weren't quite prepared for some 450,000 of them, though, according to CNN.
"On the seller's disclosure it said 'bees in wall' and that was it and I think because one, we didn't see them and two, we were just so floored that we actually found land in the (school) district that was within our price range that I didn't really ask any questions about those bees," Sara Weaver told CNN. "I didn't think it would be that big of an issue.
"It didn't even cross my mind but when spring arrived that's when we started to see them."
Weaver said that when she and her husband bought the home, it was in horrible shape. She now realizes that the substance she figured was dirt on the windows all this time was possibly honey.
After being really excited about finally finding a home in the area, the Weavers opted not to do a home inspection before buying it.
Once the couple called upon experts to help them get rid of the infestation, they found out that the removal and reconstruction of their home would cost them nearly $12,000, according to CNN.
Allan Lattanzi, a local general contractor and professional experienced beekeeper, would be the one to save the day. He had been previously called to the home years ago but wasn't able to remove the bees because the owner could not afford the services.
Lattanzi was able to remove all of the bees in a week span. He relocated them to his own farm.
The ability of honeybees to produce honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom play a prominent role in United States agriculture.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that honey bees made 157 million pounds of honey in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service.
