Beekeepers, aided by maintenance workers, have removed roughly 30,000 bees that built a huge hive inside an Idaho State University campus landmark.
The bees were safely transported from the stone-and-wood Swanson Arch to a hive box at a nearby farm on Friday, according to an Associated Press report in the Idaho State Journal.
Beekeeper Sarah Hofeldt said the bees were surprisingly docile, and no one was stung during the extraction.
She was safely able to remove the queen bee from the hive by hand without the use of smoke. Smokers can calm the bees but also can make it more difficult to move them into a transport container, which can increase bee fatalities, she said.
The hive was discovered earlier this month, said ISU facilities manager Dee Rasmussen. The bees likely entered the walls of the arch through knotholes, building the hive behind the wood ceiling.
ISU students traditionally walk through the arch upon entering and graduating from the university.
