Brave ‘bee whisperer’ video goes viral, showing Texan woman rehoming hive with her bare hands

A professional Texas beekeeper has gone viral after she shared a video of herself rescuing a hive of bees that had been stuck under the floorboards of a garden shed for more than two years.

Erika Thompson posted her TikTok video online on Friday, and it has been viewed over 1.5 million times on Twitter.

The clip is soothingly narrated by Thompson – who has been affectionately nicknamed “the bee whisperer” – as she says: “When I lifted up the floor I found a huge hive full of gentle bees.

“The hive was so big I had to remove another section of floor to access the entire thing. Then I started removing the hive.

“Whatever I removed from the original hive went right into the new hive.

“After I removed all of the comb, I started scooping bees into the new hive. As soon as I put the bees by the new hive, they marched right in.

“Then a stream of bees began running from under the floor into a new hive.

“So I waited and watched to see if I could spot the Queen Bee in the crowd. After about 15 minutes she appeared, so I put her in a clip to keep her safe.

“Once the Queen was in the new hive. Some bees began sending signals to help the other bees find their way home.

“I left the hive in the shed overnight. And by the next day the entire colony had moved into their new home.

“And it was another great day of saving the bees.”

Thompson’s video prompted an outpouring of emotion and love for both bees and the brave bee whisperer.

One person wrote: “Bees are literally sweet creatures that wanna make that flower cocaine and be left alone.”

Another said: “I love her Tik Tok I would take a bullet for her.”

Someone else wrote: “She’s braver than all marines combined.”

Another said: “Bees are very important and BIG PROPS to this person for helping out the bees.”

One man chipped in: “They might be small creatures but they are very important for our ecosystems.”

Another woman commented: “I need to scoop at life the way she scoops at bees.”

The journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar reshared the video, tweeting: “I have watched this beautiful video about 50 times.”

She added: “Wish this was the energy I carried into the world”.

Others pointed out that it wasn’t something everyone should be trying at home, and were concerned that Thompson wasn’t wearing gloves or using protective equipment.

Sarkar said: “She explains that she’s able to read bee behaviour, so she knows when they’re not gonna sting. A goddess!!!”

Another person pointed out: “The smoke she’s using distracts the bees and makes them focus on the hive instead of her.”

Thompson said the reaction to the video was incredible, but for her it was “just a normal Tuesday”.

More: Anarchy versus authority: Do humans need to be ruled?