Another big beehive discovered on San Antonio's South side has people in a the neighborhood fearing for their safety.
However, a local bee expert said the fears may be unfounded.
The latest hive, which is about two feet long and 18 inches in diameter, is located behind a home on Manzano Street near Chamita Drive.
Frank Bosmans has been keeping an eye on the hive for years, and keeping his distance from it.
"Hey, just stay away from it. Give it the right of way," he joked.
However, Bosmans said he does have some concerns about safety, especially when it comes to children walking past it to get to Bob Hope Elementary School.
"The kids were throwing rocks at it one time," Bosmans said. "I said, ‘Don't mess with it. Leave it alone. You'd be surprised how many of them are in there."
Weldon Riggs, an instructor with the agriculture department at nearby Palo Alto College and member of the Alamo Area Beekeepers Association, said the hive is home to a colony of as many as 10,000 bees.
He said, though, that he does not believe they're dangerous.
Riggs is convinced they're the Mexican Honeybee, a smaller, kinder variety of the bees we're used to seeing in this region.
"They're not aggressive. They're not going to hurt anybody," Riggs said. "They just fly around and do their own thing."
The bees' nest is made of a papier-mache like material, crafted around the limbs of the tree.
Riggs said it appears to be similar to another hive that is causing concern about two miles away, in the 1900 block of Ann Arbor.
Antonio Serna, 73, on whose property that hive sits, had shared his concerns in a story that aired on KSAT 12 News Wednesday night.
Serna suffers from cancer, and wanted help to remove the huge hive, which is located high up in a tall tree on his property.
"This hive and that hive are basically the same," Riggs said after observing both hives.
Although Riggs recommends leaving the hives and bees alone, Serna's plight has solicited several offers of help.
Among the people who have offered to come to his aid is his city council representative, Rey Saldana.
Tim Salas, Saldana's chief of staff, said the councilman has arranged to have workers with the city's Vector Control remove the hive Friday morning.
