This Beekeeper Continues To Generate Massive Online Buzz Around Her Work For The Endangered Species
Erika Thompson, a beekeeper from Texas, has blown the online community way with her buzzing business.
Erika founded Texas Bee Works– a company dedicated to “putting hives before honey.” She works to carefully and patiently remove bee hives from all sorts of suburban sites in an effort to save the dying species.
With 10.7 million followers on TikTok and nearly eight hundred thousand followers on Instagram, it is clear that social media users across the globe are enthralled by her work.
She often posts videos that narrate her one-of-a-kind bee-removal process. Most recently, Erika posted a TikTok where she removed a beehive from a compost bin, and TikTokers everywhere were mesmerized.
“The bin was full of comb and bees, so I got to work removing the hive,” Erika said.
She first tried to preserve as much honeycomb as possible. After all, Erika noted that the bees work hard on creating such beautiful structures.
She placed them into protective frames for rehoming and even snagged a quick bite of honeycomb. Next, she began removing the bees.
While searching for the queen bee, Erika scooped out handfuls of buzzing bees with her bare hands. Erika explained how finding the queen bee is essential in getting the rest of the bees to relocate.
TikTok; pictured above Erika smiles next to the compost bin
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After spotting the queen, Erika carefully put her in a clip for protection and placed her into the new hive.
“Then, I just kept scooping bees into the new hive. These bees were very calm and were not trying to sting me. We were all working together for the good of the colony,” Erika continued.
However, some bees still did not budge– some stragglers stuck to their old hive, and a bunch remained on Erika’s body. So, she used a smoker to encourage the bees into their new home and waited for the final slowpokes to follow.
“It was another great day of saving the bees!” Erika finished with her famous catchphrase and a clip of the new hive.
Erika’s love for the critters is not only apparent through her day-to-day work and massive online presence. Her casual interactions with bees is just as astounding.
TikTok; pictured above is Erika rescuing bees from the compost bin
In this video, and many others, Erika wore a regular button-down shirt and some jeans. Instead of opting for protective gear like a suit or even just gloves, Erika simply remains calm. Most people could not fathom her courage.
This TikTok alone reached a whopping 29 million people and racked up 3.5 million likes. Thousands of commenters praised Erika’s bravery and dedication to her mission.
“I admire the way that you love bees!” one user commented.
“Thank you. We need bees for life!” commented a second user.
“I love your work. It seems like you have a good bee-siness going here,” added a third witty commenter.
Erika’s bee-handling skills are definitely on another level, and she is saving the bee population one fearless day at a time.
To watch the original video, visit the link here. Or, to learn more about Texas Bee Works and their work for the declining bee population, visit Erika’s TikTok account here.
@texasbeeworks Saving #bees from a compost bin! #beekeeper #nature #savethebees
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