Years ago, back before online commercials were common, Honda released an online commercial. At 2 minutes long, it was a mesmerizing video of a Rube Goldberg interaction, starting with a rolling hex nut that started a long series of chain-reaction touches, concluding with the rolling of the Honda Accord across the floor. At the end of the amazing domino run, Garrison Keillor intones, “Isn’t it nice when things just…. work?” It is a masterful commercial, and immediately went viral. Worth the watch, if you have two minutes to spare.
I went to Tommy Dykes’ house this week to evaluate a bee removal there. Years ago, my predecessor, Sid Ervin, removed a hive from an adjacent wall. Apparently the space is attractive to scout bees, and a new colony has re-occupied the walls.
From the inside, it seemed that it was going to be an easy effort. The paneling was paper thin; prying it loose was going to be simplicity itself. The other prep part was figuring out where the hive was.
Now, friends, when the temperature is August-in-Mississippi hot, the difference between the bees’ warmed spot and the ambient temperature is not much. And the basement had no AC. HOT.
I had no expectations when I turned on the infrared camera, but I figured it was worth a try. And to my astonishment, the difference between the temps was visible.
I told Tommy that it was going to be a super-easy removal. (My history was making such proclamations has NOT been great.)
But this time, I was convinced it would just…. work.
You know what?
It did.
The comb was exactly where the infrared had indicated. The paneling was even thinner and easier to remove than I had expected. Opening the wall took about two minutes (about the length of a Honda commercial), and removal of the comb took about fifteen minutes. The remainder of my time was spend vacuuming bees and cleaning up.
Isn’t it nice when things just…. work?
Company Bee Blog 