The sight of a beat-up old suitcase lying around may not be enough to arouse much curiosity. But there was something especially odd about this particular piece of tattered luggage.
It literally buzzed.
This week, Erika Thompson of Texas Beeworks shared an extraordinary video showing the rescue of countless little lives from that unlikely locale.
Thompson, who specializes in rehoming bees, was evidently alerted to the fact that a large group of bees had set up residence inside the disused suitcase — hardly an ideal home for a queen and her hive.
Whereas the shocking discovery of a bag full of bees might send most people running, it had Thompson stepping in to help instead:
By day’s end, the suitcase hive had just about all moved into the new bee box provided by Thompson. But in that kind act, she did more than help these bees alone
As pollinators, bees play a critical role in maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem. In fact, by some estimations, a hive 20,000 bees strong is capable of visiting some 20 million flowers per day — making Thompson’s work in protecting them all the more far reaching.