FALLBROOK -- Beekeepers Linda Nickerson and her husband, Gery
Kesslau, say their favorite fuzzy insect is the victim of a bad
rap, and that people should focus on the sweetness bees create,
rather than their sting.
With three weeks left of spring, the Fallbrook couple want local
residents who encounter a hive on their property to consider asking
a beekeeper to remove it, rather than automatically calling an
exterminator. In the Fallbrook and Bonsall areas, Nickerson and
Kesslau said, they will remove hives at no charge.
"We want people to remember that bees are beneficial,
particularly to agriculture," Nickerson said. "They help with
County officials say that may be true, but that licensed and
bonded pest control professionals are the still the safest way to
deal with unwanted hives -- particularly in the San Diego region,
where the highly aggressive Africanized honeybee has established a
David Kellum, entomologist with the San Diego County Department
of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, said it is often difficult to
tell whether bees are aggressive until a person starts removing the
The county formerly kept a list of beekeepers on hand and would
pass it along to members of the public who requested it, but has
stopped that practice because of the growing threat of the
Africanized honeybee, Kellum said.
San Diego County has 45 registered beekeepers and about 5,000
known colonies, according to Kellum.
Nickerson said she has run across few problems from Africanized
honeybees and that she and Kesslau take proper precautions when
dealing with any unfamiliar hive.
Understanding the insects
For Nickerson, beekeeping is a labor of love -- born in part
from an appreciation of the insects that she said she has had since
"I like bees. They're hard workers," Nickerson said. "They're
relentless. They're survivors."
Nickerson said that when she was about 9 years old, she used to
catch bumblebees in jars and watch them.
"I never got stung when catching bumblebees -- never," she
Nickerson, 59, and Kesslau, 74, now have 10 hives on their
property on Yucca Terrace in Fallbrook, where Nickerson estimates
they house a total of 90,000 honeybees. The couple's property is
registered with the county in Kesslau's name.
Being a beekeeper does not mean you can somehow communicate with
the insects, Nickerson said.
"It's a matter of understanding bee behavior," she said. "They
are attracted to their hives, their honeycombs and their queens.
Bees are not looking for someone to sting. They're always busy
improving the living quarters, raising the new bees and feeding
Understanding how and why an insect works also helps eliminate
fear, Nickerson said.
"It's .. a matter of not being afraid, especially if you are
wearing protective gear," she said. "My father educated me about
bees, spiders, snakes, and other things. He also taught me not to
Once they determine if they can help a property owner, Nickerson
and Kesslau wait for the next warm, sunny day -- knowing it means
half of the bees will be out foraging.