Capitol Hill is buzzing: Architect of the Capitol rehomes bee colony

Posted March 13, 2019 at 4:42pm

Capitol Hill was buzzing Wednesday morning and it had nothing to do with Congress or news. An Architect of the Capitol ground crew removed a massive bee hive from an ash tree on the Capitol campus.

Images from the AOC show a large limb of the ash tree being removed, with the hive tucked inside. The team that removed the bee colony from the historic tree was made up of AOC arborists and a beekeeper, according to spokesperson Erin Courtney.

The hive inside of the limb of the ash tree. (Photo: Architect of the Capitol)

“The bees will be relocated to a safer location on AOC property,” Courtney told Roll Call in an email. She did not specify where that new location would be on the 274-acre Capitol grounds.

The bees and their hive came with a golden treat: 10 pounds of honey. The honey will move with the colony to their new location.

Early this AM our grounds crew carefully removed a beehive from the limb of a #USCapitol ash tree. The #pollinators, and their 10 lbs of honey 🍯, are being relocated to a safer home. pic.twitter.com/K3OlrK6WUV
— Architect of the Capitol (@uscapitol) March 13, 2019

“We will continue to monitor the tree to ensure its success,” said Courtney.

There are more than 4,500 trees under the care of the Architect of the Capitol, cared for by professional arborists.

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