A mother says she initially denied her daughter’s fears about a “monster” living in her room and chalked them up to imagination until she and her husband discovered thousands of bees in their home.
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Ashley Massis Class explained to PEOPLE that her daughter started experiencing night terrors amid the arrival of a new sibling and kept complaining about the monster in the bedroom walls. This led her and her husband to investigate their home, and they noticed bees flying up to their attic, causing them to contact a pest control service. They also learned that these species of bee were honeybees. After contacting multiple beekeepers who initially didn’t find any signs of bees, one beekeeper noticed bees were entering through the floorboard of an unfinished attic section directly above the daughter’s room.
He discovered a massive hive hidden within the walls using a thermal camera. When he opened the walls, over 50,000 bees swarmed out. “He opened the wall, and it was one of the biggest hives he’s seen in his 40-year career. Just 50,000 bees were swarming like crazy in my daughter’s bedroom. It was a nightmare. They were dropping honey everywhere, all over all her stuff,” Ashley explained.
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“We sealed off the room and he came back the next day. He took out another 20,000 bees. Now the hole in the wall is covered by plastic and we still keep getting bees coming in. We think there are another 20,000 bees now, so he’s coming back, anticipating removing another 20,000.”
The beekeeper’s immediate actions involved sealing the room and methodically removing the bees and honeycomb over several visits. The situation required significant repairs to the home due to the extensive damage caused by the hive and honey seepage, which affected structural and electrical elements. The repairs were estimated at around $20,000, and their daughter had to vacate her room for several weeks during the cleanup. Ashley also said she had to clean up several dead bees each day after the family couldn’t find the queen.
“We’ve had a couple of thousand that died because their queen is no longer here, so that’s sad. We’ve been leaving the window open, hoping the remaining ones fly out, but many will die without being able to smell the queen, as I understand. So we’ve been cleaning up thousands of dead bees every single day, and I’ve learned that bees can still sting you when they’re dead.”
Ashley reassured her daughter that the “monsters” were being handled, affectionately nicknaming the beekeeper “Mr. Monster Hunter.” The beekeeper even taught the toddler how to be unafraid by handling the bees directly, though she remained cautiously distant. Ultimately, the beekeeper relocated the queen bee and the majority of the hive to a sanctuary, ensuring the safety of the bees and the family.
