IDALOU, Texas — A local family is helping other residents by taking in bees that people don’t want on their property.
Helen and Arturo Castillo started caring for bees around six months ago. The couple started by purchasing several thousand bees online to put in their back yard.
“We got them from Georgia,” Arturo said. “They were Italian bees [and] they’re supposed to be pretty docile.”
Helen said she was scared to be around the bees at first, but later became more relaxed around the insects.
“The more you’re around them and especially when you have your bee suit on, you feel very comfortable,” she said. “That’s a big help but as you get used to it, you’re not going to be messing with their hives.”
The couple is also part of a Faceboook group online called Beekeepers of Lubbock, TX, that aims to educate and care for bees that need a safe space.
Eric Hosch, a resident of the South Plains, reached out to the group after he found an overwhelming swarm in his shed.
“It was a pretty easy removal since it was in a storage shed as opposed to a tree or my house and I found people to do it for me for free,” he said. “They just wanted to keep the bees so that made the choice easier.”
The Castillos and another couple wound up finding three nests on Hosch’s property.
Arturo said being able to help Hosch made him feel proud.
“It’s satisfaction to see [that] we can help and give them a new home and move them out of there,” he said.
