As a child, Pip Harry was allergic to bees, with a single sting capable of swelling her entire arm. But decades later, when 30,000 bees moved into her Sydney home, she learned to coexist with her former nemesis.
Harry's family bought a house in bushland on Sydney's northern beaches. One spring day, a swarm of 20,000 bees headed straight for her and her baby. Terrified, she slammed the patio doors. During renovations, they discovered old honeycomb and dead bees in the walls, which likely attracted the swarm.
Harry called multiple beekeepers, but none could extract the bees from the wall cavity. Eventually, she resorted to pest control to seal entry points. Years later, another swarm of 30,000 bees arrived, pushing into the walls and stairwell cavity.
This time, Harry found a beekeeper who set up a bait hive outside, but the bees didn't move. He then cut a hole in the floor and placed a box directly on top of the hive inside the living space. For weeks, the family lived alongside thousands of bees, with Harry learning about their behaviour and losing her fear.
Eventually, the beekeeper removed the hive, saving two-thirds of the bees. After they were gone, Harry felt the house was too quiet. She now has a new appreciation for bees as excellent housemates.
