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Anyone familiar with the old adage, “when it rains, it pours” is also familiar with its cousin, “trouble travels in packs”.

Well, a new troublesome trend is buzzing around the sunburned rooftops of the Santa Clarita Valley as an unexpected result of the additional rain we had this year:  Beehives in chimneys!

“The additional rains we had this winter and spring created a wildflower and landscape bloom we haven’t seen in 20 years” comments Craig Humphries, owner of Unipest Pest Control, a professional, eco-friendly, beehive removal company.  “This causes the bee population to be more successful, and reproduce surprisingly quickly.”  He continues, “The new colonies they form quickly must swarm over the Santa Clarita Valley to find new refuge and start their own beehive, and if you are a bee colony flying over suburbia, where are you going to land first?  On the chimney.”

But why chimneys we ask… is it just their elevation?

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“Nope.” responds Craig Humphries.  “Santa Clarita has experienced several construction booms over the past 40 years, and after the Northridge Earthquake, many builders switched to faux stucco, gas-fired chimneys, and the gap between the gas flue and the faux stucco is a perfect hiding place for a freshly formed bee colony.  It’s also far enough out of the way, the hive can exist years without anyone noticing, because, honestly… who inspects their chimney that often?”

If you, or anyone you know wants to know more information about beehive removal in the Santa Clarita Valley, you can call Unipest at 661-BUG-7575 or 661-284-7575.

Cardon Ellis is a lifetime resident of the Santa Clarita Valley.  He produces video and radio content for KHTS and is a 15 year veteran of the pest control industry.