Bee remover finds 12-foot hive in Utah cabin

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OGDEN, Utah, May 6 (UPI) -- A Utah man hired to remove bees from a cabin said he was shocked to discover their hive in the structure's rafters measured 12 feet long.

Vic Bachman, owner of Deseret Hive Supply in Ogden, said the owners of the Eden cabin had known about the bees since 1996, but decided to leave them alone because they weren't bothering anybody, the Ogden Standard-Examiner reported Monday.

He said the family finally decided to get rid of the bees in March because there is now a baby around. Bachman said he waited until April for the removal due to the cold weather in March and was shocked when he entered the cabin and discovered the 12-foot hive, which he said is about four times the usual size.

"I haven't seen one that huge," Bachman said. "It's been there since 1996, so we expected it to be large, but we didn't know how large. When we saw how big it was, we were like, 'Oh, man.'"

Bachman said he used a vacuum to safely remove the bees and they are now doing well in his company's hives.