A resident from Struben’s Valley has been terrified of a beehive that is located in a tree on her pavement.
The resident, who has requested to stay anonymous, suspects the tree has been hollow and has a beehive in it. She said the bees get agitated mostly in the mornings because they can be heard buzzing from her house. She is allergic to bees and even goes through the trouble of keeping medication for if for when she gets stung.
She has communicated with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) and Ward 97 Councillor Jaco Engelbrecht who confirmed, “Yes I did get a complaint about the tree and I have reported it to Johannesburg City Parks.”
The resident has contacted the Johannesburg City Parks by calling them, sending an email and also tweeting them on Twitter. She was then told, through a tweet from Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo,”sorry but we don’t deal with beehives, you can contact your regions Environmental Health Department for assistance.”
@Memeandmeonly sorry but we don't deal with bee hives, you can contact your regions environmental health department for assistance.
— JoburgParksZoo (@JoburgParksZoo) October 20, 2015
JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley, however, said that they did receive a complaint from a resident in Struben’s Valley about a beehive in a tree via social media and that they have made a note to go and assist. The resident said she would not mind if they removed the tree and planted a new, less-problematic one. She mentioned that she likes to spend time in the garden but has not done it in a while because of her fear for the bees which also occasionally get into the house. She also fears her dogs will get stung if they agitate the bees by barking.
Details: Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, 011 712 6615; Ward 97 Councillor Jaco Engelbrecht, 082 318 6514.
