Beekeepers Save 60,000 Bees From New London Wall

When thermal imaging revealed a nine-foot-tall beehive hidden inside a New London outbuilding, most people would have called an exterminator. Instead, the homeowners called Steve Krueger and Nick Knuth, local beekeepers who specialize in saving these vital pollinators.

The colony was massive. An estimated 60,000 to 80,000 honeybees had quietly built their empire inside the wall on Shiocton Street, creating a hive roughly nine feet tall and two feet wide.

"Too many people just spray their stuff and what a waste," said Krueger, who has spent a decade doing residential bee extractions with Knuth. "It's a responsibility, helping mother nature."

The extraction wasn't easy. Knuth took multiple stings across his temple, ear, and neck, causing severe swelling that nearly shut his eyes. But even half-blind from the reaction, he refused to stop until the queen and her colony were safe.

Krueger, a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran, also caught stings through his gloves. When someone suggested he take Benadryl and rest, he dismissed the idea. "There's no time for taking a break," he said. "To me, those are minutes you never get back."

The beekeepers discovered the colony was about to swarm, a natural process where crowded hives split to create new colonies. They spotted queen cells and massive bee clusters, signs that workers were preparing to raise a new queen and branch off.

Successfully relocating wild bees requires understanding their complex biology. Bees memorize their exact location through aerial GPS flights. If you move a hive just five feet, the bees will return to the original spot the next morning. That's why rescued colonies must be transported miles away to reset their internal coordinates.

The Ripple Effect

Both beekeepers produce raw local honey, but conservation drives their rescue work more than profit. Domestic honeybee populations have faced severe threats since invasive Varroa mites arrived from Asia in the mid-1980s, making every wild rescue count.

Raw local honey also provides real health benefits. Because bees forage within a three-mile radius, consuming local honey helps residents build immunity against seasonal allergies specific to their area.

This colony survived a harsh Wisconsin winter in a north-facing wall, which impressed Krueger. At her peak, the queen was likely laying up to 2,000 eggs daily to maintain the massive population.

The rescued bees now have a new home where they'll continue their essential work pollinating local plants and producing honey. Thanks to two dedicated beekeepers who believe some missions are worth the stings, 60,000 pollinators got a second chance instead of a death sentence.

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