40,000 Bees Removed from Maine Farmhouse Walls After Decades of Buzzing Activity

A historic farmhouse in Westbrook, Maine has made the news after an estimated 40,000 bees were removed from its walls, a situation that has been the norm for decades, according to the Knight family who has managed the farm since the 18th century.

The Knight Family's Long-Standing Connection with the Farm

The Knight family has been at the helm of the Smiling Hill Farm since 1720, creating a deep-rooted connection with the land and its surroundings. According to Marsha Knight, a member of the family, the presence of honey bees has been an integral part of the farm for as long as she can remember, even from her childhood years.

According to Bee Huggah's owner Andrew MacDonald, Marsha Knight stated, "Those honey bees or other honey bees have been in that wall void ever since she was a young girl." Furthermore, Michael Knight, Marsha's brother, estimated that the bees have resided in the farmhouse for over 60 years, possibly even 70 or 80 years, as per reports from WMTW.

Relocation Efforts by Bee Huggah

MacDonald captured the bees on video as they buzzed around inside an exposed yellow wall of the farmhouse on September 13. The clip vividly depicted the busy bees moving about and entering and exiting the farmhouse from the outside. Rather than resorting to extermination, the Knight family, seeking to preserve the bee colony during the planned renovations, turned to MacDonald's services.

In a subsequent interview, MacDonald emphasized the importance of preserving the bees, citing their medicinal value and role in pollinating crops as key reasons for relocating them instead of terminating their existence. The relocation process involved transferring the bees to a beehive box outside the farmhouse, allowing them to acclimate to their new environment, as demonstrated in a Facebook clip shared by MacDonald on a Friday.

The Knight family expressed their intention to care for the relocated bees and will eventually find a new location for them elsewhere on the farm.

The Buzz about Bees in Maine

According to the University of Maine, the state is home to over 270 species of bees, a testament to their ecological significance. With the Knight family and MacDonald's commitment to safeguarding the bees and the farm's legacy, the saga of the historic farmhouse and its buzzing tenants continues to unfold in Westbrook, Maine.