Un-bee-lievable! Lyman Elementary class receives unexpected visit from 30,000 bees

LYMAN, Miss. (WLOX) - For kids, it’s always exciting to have a visitor in the classroom. For one class at Lyman Elementary, that visit came from 30,000 bees.

Mrs. Stacy Seal’s 6th grade class had just finished up a unit on how important honeybees are to the ecosystem when they got an unexpected practical demonstration. At first, they noticed a worker bee on the window...and then a few more.

Eventually, they discovered a complete hive of bees hiding in the classroom wall.

Many of the kids were entranced, even asking to stay late and watch their new unplanned class pets. They were worried the bees might have needed to be exterminated, but luckily, a beekeeper came to class and helped relocate the bees safely.

“I think it’s important to save the bees because the population is dying and we need to help our ecosystem grow,” said students John McLamb and Sicily Sharts. “Save the bees!”

“Last year, we removed upwards of around 90 colonies at different locations across South Mississippi,” said Doug Shiver with Honey Bug Apiaries. “This is a rather medium-sized colony. The biggest one I’ve done was about six feet wide and eight feet tall.”

Only one person was stung: Mrs. Seal herself.

However, she says she doesn’t blame the bee.

“Is that the only sting that’s happened?” she asked. “We got to see a worker bee in action, I guess.”

While the honey and honeycomb were collected, the bees were vacuumed into a wooden box and safely transported to a local apiary in Woolmarket.

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