Save the bees: Hive discovered inside Lowndes Co. Historic Courthouse walls

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Lowndes County’s Public Works employees found a big surprise when they noticed some bees flying around inside the historic courthouse.

Recently while working on renovations, staff noticed a colony of bees.

In hopes of safely removing them, Buzz Fuzz Owner Dale Richter was called to the rescue.

Buzz Fuzz helps safely remove bees from the walls inside the historic courthouse.(WALB)

County employees had noticed bees swarming around the courthouse but had no idea where they were coming from.

An expert in bee removal, Richter discovered the bees behind the wall through a thermal image camera.

Richter said there were over 100,000 bees behind the wall.

“Just knowing that you’re helping nature and helping the homeowner and that kind of thing and not having the bees killed, that really is a big issue with people killing bees because it creates a bigger issue for homeowners in the long run,” said Richter.

Richter said it’s important to get the bees out and not exterminate them.

Killing them can create major issues with an increase of ants, roaches, mice and bad odor.

Richter cut the colony out of the wall and took the bees back to his beehives in a cage.

Lowndes County’s spokesperson told WALB News 10 they’re glad the bees are safe and moved.

The county can now continue with renovation plans. The historic courthouse is undergoing historic preservation renovations, scheduled to begin early next year.