Earla Seymour, an employee of Abaco Markets Limited, said she had just arrived to work yesterday morning when the bees began building a nest in the back of her navy blue Ford Explorer, which was parked on the top ramp of the Town Centre Mall. “I came to work 9 a.m. and around 10:30 a.m. my co-workers came to me and said bees were around my car,” Ms Seymour said. “Soon after several more [co-workers] told me that the back of the car was covered with bees.”
She explained that by mid day hundreds of bees had created a ‘blanket-like’ layer across the back of her vehicle.
“They were stuck to it,” said Ms Seymour. “It was like a rug and they weren’t going anywhere. It had rained several times and the rain was heavy but they just began going underneath the car.” According to Ms Seymour she had tried to contact the Environmental Health Services Department and the Agriculture Department for help but was turned away.
The Guardian also contacted Agriculture Department and officials there admitted that they and other government agencies do not handle bee infestations. “I called the Department of Environmental Health but they said there was nothing they could do because they only deal with rodents and mosquitoes,” said Ms Seymour. “I then called the Department of Agriculture but they said they don’t have the equipment to deal with the situation and the gentleman they referred me to was charging $450.
“So the best information they could give me was wait it out and wait for the queen bee to leave and then the other bees would go,” she added.
But Ms Seymour insisted that as the day wore on the bees continued to swarm around her vehicle. When The Guardian arrived on the scene shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday a large number of bees had completely covered the left rear side of Ms Seymour’s SUV.
Struckum Pest Control Limited had also just arrived and soon began applying pesticides to kill the bees.
Still Ms Seymour maintained that she was disappointed in the Bahamian government for not being able to tackle the bees.
“I think it is terrible that no government agency can do anything about it and it’s terrible that they’re not prepared to deal with it,” she said. “I understand that they are saying they have no equipment to deal with it but my concern is there are a lot of school children in this area.
“I also wanted to make sure the problem was properly dealt with,” she continued. “I don’t want to get in my car thinking they have all left and then something gets in and comes out through a vent. I just think it’s a dangerous situation.”
By: JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
