Jimmy Johnson battles a massive bee infestation in his home, with honey oozing from walls and swarms numbering in the millions.
HITCHCOCK, Texas — For more than 30 years, Jimmy Johnson has been fighting an enemy he never expected would move into his home — bees.
The 69-year-old Hitchcock man says what started as a nuisance has now turned into an overwhelming infestation, with honey oozing from the walls and swarms so large he believes they number in the millions.
“I can’t cut the grass… can’t paint that side of the house because of them bees,” Johnson told KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi.
Johnson has lived in the home for 35 years, but says the last 20 have been the worst. He believes the bees originally came from honeycombs left behind by the previous owners. Instead of leaving, they built a hive that now fills a cavity more than 20 feet wide and nine feet high inside his home.
“The honey has saturated into the material and it’s started to decay,” he said.
For Johnson, who walks with a cane, everyday chores are risky. He says he’s been stung on his face and neck, chased down the street, and knocked over more times than he can count.
“Sometimes I have to make sure I finish eating and washing dishes before the sun goes down, because if I turn the light on after dark, it attracts them inside,” Johnson explained.
He estimates he’s spent more than $25,000 over the years on sprays, about $60 a month, just to keep the bees at bay.
“That’s no way to live,” Johnson admitted.
Because it was too dangerous for our cameras to go inside, KHOU 11 gave Johnson a GoPro to show us what he deals with daily.
“Honey oozing all down my walls right here… see the stains on the wall… it’s honey,” Johnson narrated in the video. At one point, the footage captured him spraying another bee that had made its way inside.
Johnson says he’s called professional pest control companies, but many have told him the job is too big. And even if it weren’t, living on a fixed income makes paying for major repairs nearly impossible.
Still, he holds out hope.
“Yes ma’am I do, I do want my home back,” Johnson said. “Help, if you can… please.”
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