Hilton Head Island homeowner told to banish bees

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — There’s a buzz about bees on Hilton Head Island where a homeowner has been told to remove the bee hive he has in his yard for five years.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/N8ztIj) that Pete Markarian was told by the board of the Indigo Run community that the bees are a nuisance.

Board president Charles Gobrecht said a neighbor wanted the beehive removed, saying it created a dangerous situation because the bees could swarm and move to another location.

Markarian calls the decision foolish and says the area will simply be losing a lot of bees that pollinate flowers.

Clemson University entomology professor Mike Hood says Markarian’s European bees are very docile. He says they usually keep to themselves and should not be a problem for neighbors.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com