Reported by Margaret Kavanagh
ROCKLEDGE -- The buzz in one Brevard County neighborhood is a massive, 10-foot-tall yellow jacket nest that could potentially become dangerous.
The hive, around the 1900 block of Timbers West, is home to hundreds of thousands of yellow jackets. Experts told News 13 only a few hives of that exceptional size are found in Florida every year.
The owner of the land said he had a wedding planned Friday morning, so he called a buzzkiller crew to come out and remove the huge hive.
“The carriage carrying the bride is driving by within 5 feet of this yellow jacket hive,” said bee expert Richard Martyniak. “It’s imperative that we take care of it at this point.”
So how did the nest get so large? According to experts, Florida’s mild winters has given it the opportunity to grow over the last two to three years, collecting multiple queens to allow it to grow even larger.
Experts said while yellow jackets are beneficial to the environment, they aren’t when the hives get too large, because of the potential for the insects to attack.
To take down a 10-foot hive, technicians said they will spray chemicals on the yellow jackets, which will kill many of them, then cut down the hive with knives and, if needed, a chainsaw -- all while wearing protective gear from head to toe, of course.
Martyniak said yellow jackets can sting multiple times, and this is the time of year people need to stop, look and listen for hives in their yards and around their lawns.
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