SKIN-crawling video shows the moment 40,000 bees were removed from a ceiling in student accommodation.
A total of 55kgs of honey and wax was also taken from the massive colony which grew in the space between two floors.
The clip, filmed in Brighton, shows bee expert Adam Strawson in the process of vacuuming up the insects, which were safely moved to a nearby apiary.
The colony was discovered by the horrified owner of the property after a student moved out.
It is thought the bees got in during the summer of 2017.
Adam Strawson, founder and beekeeper at Brighton-based Aecre Honey, carried out the eight-hour removal job on September 17.
Adam, 29, said today: “I was amazed by the sheer size. On our initial site visit we expected the colony to be relatively small, covering an area of around 12 inches square (which was the original hole we cut.
“We were quite surprised as we continued to remove more plasterboard that the comb just kept going.”
He added: “The bees were safely removed – despite a number of stings – and they have been relocated to our Sussex apiary where they’re now in a new hive for them to re-establish.”
“I’d estimate between 30-40,000 within the colony. It’s very rare that we’ll get a call to an established honey bee colony, especially of this size.”
The hive was about 1.6m long and 30cm wide, with honey comb two inches thick in places. About 50cm of the hive was being used by the queen to lay eggs.
The “bee vac” seen in the video is harmless to the insects. After removing the bees the comb was cut away, and put into frames so they could re-use them.
The rest of the comb and the honey was put into buckets to be used as food for the colony while they settle into their new hive.
