What’s the buzz? Workers uncover massive beehive in Old Courthouse ceiling

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 — While the Old Courthouse in the center of Bardstown has long been a hive of activity in the community, workers trying to repair plaster in the ceiling of the building’s stairwell found a hive of another kind — a bee hive.

And not just a small one, either.

Honeybees had built an extensive network of honeycombs in a hive that filled a large area covering several feet between the stairwell ceiling and the roofing.

An estimated 70,000 bees were making the Old Courthouse ceiling their home.

Brad Metcalf, deputy Nelson County judge-executive, said it was a coincidence that he was telling a Nelson County Sheriff’s Deputy about the courthouse’s substantial bee problem and his inability — so far — to find someone to remove them.

The deputy, Ian Justice, told Metcalfe that he and his wife are beekeepers, and he volunteered to come and remove the bees from the stairwell ceiling.

Justice brought in some specialized equipment to vacuum the bees without harming them, and a hive for the bees to make their new home.

When Justice was done, the exposed ceiling rafters were clean of any evidence the bees had been there — certainly a bee-utiful sight for county employees who were worried about being stung while working in the building.

And as for Deputy Justice his work earned him not only a “free-bee,” but the gratitude of the building’s occupants.

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