KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When the weather gets warmer, the chances of finding friendly, buzzing insects inside go up.
Homeowners need to act quickly if they find a hive inside because bees can create an environment in your house that invites in other insects. They can cause damage to your walls, ceilings and floors.
Gary Anthony removes anywhere between three and five colonies a week from houses. He says that the less insulated a house is, the greater chance for bees to make their home in it.
"If you aren't maintaining your house well on the outside, and there's a little hole that they can get into. Then, you got bees. if there's a crack that long and wide enough for them to slip into, they'll come in," he said.
Gary thinks the growing number of bees in homes could be from some local beekeepers who aren't maintaining their colonies correctly. That's causing more swarming bees to look for a home.
Maria Williams had anywhere between 40,000 bees and 60,000 bees removed from her house in Knoxville on Wednesday morning.
"It doesn't take much, all it takes is a little clog-able hole, that will let them get in there into a little dark space. Where it'll stay warm and they'll make themselves at home and that's what they did," said Anthony.
The Center for Biological Diversity said more than 40% of bee species across the U.S. are vulnerable to extinction. If anyone finds bees inside their home, they should contact a beekeeper to safely remove them.
Also, if bees create a colony and settle inside of a home it's best to stay away from them until a beekeeper can safely remove them.