UPDATE MAY 2, 4:22 P.M.:
Contact 13 reached out the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and discovered there is no policy or directive for utility companies when it comes to infestations of animals in equipment.
Contact 13 did reach out to some of the biggest utility companies in Nevada about the topic and what sort of policies they have in place:
“Cox builds and maintains a telecommunications network throughout the Las Vegas Valley. When we discover that insects, rodents, trees, shrubs or other such matter has begun to interfere with our telecom equipment, we work with the appropriate vendors (tree service, pest control, etc) to remove the interfering matter.”
CenturyLink takes safety seriously. If someone believes there is
an unsafe situation involving CenturyLink equipment and bees, we
recommend they call us first. In this case, we would be happy
to address the issue.
Las Vegas Valley Water Authority:
We recognize the importance of customer and employee safety, so if we discover bees or other dangerous pests in and around our infrastructure, we will coordinate with a third-party exterminator to respond and handle the issue.
An NV Energy spokesperson says the company works with a bee removal service to re-home the bees anytime they are discovered inside equipment. The company takes the survival of the desert honey bee extremely seriously.
Bottom line, when bees or other animals have moved into equipment on your property, try to identify the company that owns the box and then call the corresponding business.
UPDATE MAY 2: A beekeeper allowed 13 Action News to film him as he removed a beehive from the Henderson home.
Turns out, the bees had likely been taking up residence in side the phone box for months. The whole box was full of honeycombs, and the bees had been there so long that several queen bees had already come and gone.
Beekeeper Josh Hammons says since they were able to find a healthy hive, they were all able to be safely extracted, meaning the viewer who called 13 Action shouldn't have the problem again, and the bees will live on to produce honey.
ORIGINAL STORY: A 13 Action News viewers says his neighborhood near U.S. 95 and Wagon Wheel Drive in Henderson has been plagued by bees for nearly a year.
Cole Cook says the bees have taken up residence in a phone box behind his house, and that he's concerned about them being aggressive and his neighbors potentially getting hurt.
He says it's also not clear who was responsible for clearing it out. He says he called the phone company, and they told him there was nothing they could do.
WATCH GOOD MORNING LAS VEGAS AT 5:30 A.M. WEDNESDAY TO SEE A LIVE BEE REMOVAL
"We called them thinking we're doing them a favor, and they well it's not our responsibility," Cook says.
He says he also tried calling animal control, who referred him back to the phone company. So, instead, he called 13 Action News, and a local bee keeper, Josh Hammons, has now agreed to help extract the bees.
"Fortunately for me, I have a smart girlfriend, she said call Channel 13 News," Cook says. "Fortunately I was smart enough to listen."
If a case is severe enough, and you see a large swarm of bees, it's best at that point to hire a professional to extract them. Click here for tips on how to stay safe and more.
If a case is less severe, bee keepers also have a few other tips to keep the problem at bay. They say you should check your home from loose food sources like open trash cans that could attract the bees, and another solution is planting flowers away from your house for the bees will be lured there instead of your home.
