Large bee hive plagues public housing residents for months

Erica Montgomery worries bees could attack her son

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Erica Montgomery is tired of living next to noisy neighbors at the Annie Coleman Housing Project in northwest Miami-Dade County. She feels they pose a threat to her safety, and that of her son.

"I heard this intense buzzing, and I'm like, 'What is that?' And then I looked out the window and saw bees," Montgomery said. "What if my child comes out and that thing comes down and they attack him?"

Montgomery said she first noticed a large bee hive in October and has been working to get the hive removed ever since. 

"I called the commissioner, the rent office, the hotline. I did that, the weekend hotline. I called everyone, even the manager yesterday. She was supposed to contact me back, but she didn't," Montgomery said. 

The hive is attached to the outside of the public housing unit that she lives in with her autistic, teenage son at Northwest 50th Street near Northwest 22nd Avenue. She feels the bee hive is bigger than it looks from the outside and extends inside the roof.

"I feel like the queen is inside the roof, and if the queen is there, the bees will do what they have to do to get to the queen," Montgomery said.

Annette Molina, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development, said the agency was looking into the problem.

Montgomery said someone did come to inspect the hive in November. The person sprayed some yellow foam near the hive, outside near the roof, but it didn't work. 

"The bees took it down and went all the way from the bathroom around to the hive here," Montgomery said.

Montgomery said someone did come by Tuesday, pledging to get to the bottom of the problem by Wednesday morning. But she said the long delay for action has left her feeling the sting of defeat. 

"I feel I shouldn't have to wait months and months for someone to come out and do something," she said.


About the Author:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.