Vegas couple rescues bee colonies during spring swarm season

Spring has arrived in the Las Vegas Valley, bringing with it the familiar buzz of bee season as colonies become more active and visible across the region.

While these pollinators play a crucial role in our ecosystem, locals know, they sometimes establish their hives in locations that aren't very convenient—like windowsills or outdoor pottery.

That's where Vegas Bees steps in, offering a humane alternative to extermination.

The husband-wife team of Betsy Lewis and Pete Rizzo specialize in humane removal of stinging insects, relocating entire colonies to continue their essential environmental work away from residential areas.

"Everything is starting to bloom. Spring is here, and there's swarms of bees everywhere," said Rizzo.

The removal process follows a careful protocol. First, smoke is used to calm the bees. Then, the queen is located—a task Lewis accomplished in just seconds when Channel 13 tagged along to a recent rescue.

"She is the queen spotter!" Rizzo remarked.

With the queen identified and removed, the team carefully removes the honeycomb next.

"I try to get down to the bottom, and then I go really slow so that they can feel the knife," Lewis explained while demonstrating how she extracts the structure.

Inside the hive, hundreds of bees are hard at work. "Putting in their nectar, their pollen that they're working hard to take from the flowers. And then they have nurse bees who are taking care of the babies and the eggs," Lewis said.

The comb is transferred to a hive box along with the queen, and the remaining bees naturally follow. "They're fanning their wings, getting her smell to everybody, so they know where to go," Rizzo explained.

By day's end, the bees collect any remaining honey and relocate to their new home.

Summerlin resident Diane Sorrentino sought out Vegas Bees after learning about alternatives to extermination.

"I called the exterminator and the exterminator said, 'yes, we can take care of it,' I said, 'but do you have to kill them?' And he said, 'we do, but there are people that will take care of it for you, and they'll bring them to a home.' And he gave me the telephone number and everything," Sorrentino said.

"There were over 1000 bees in there, and it was such a learning experience and such a beautiful thing for me to see and I'm glad that we did this," she continued.

Lewis and Rizzo both work as teachers during the week and conduct their bee rescues on weekends. After removal, they transport the colonies to their nature preserve or other beekeeper's hives where the insects can continue pollinating safely away from residential areas.

"I would say, just look for bee removal, eco friendly, no kill," Rizzo advised homeowners facing similar situations.

Bee populations have been in decline in recent years. For example according to the Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bumblebee has seen a nearly 90% drop in the past 20 years.

"I just wanted people to know that the bees can be saved. They don't have to be exterminated. And dollar for dollar, it's pretty close to the same cost," he continue.

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