10 Hours To Remove Beehives At COVID-Hit Hospital

Firefighters spent over 10 hours removing two beehives on the exterior walls of the Lluis Alcanyis Hospital in the city of Xativa in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia.

The hospital is said to be handling a high number of COVID-19 cases right now.

The hives were found by hospital maintenance workers after spotting a large number of bees on the grounds.

Firefighters suspended from the hospital roof spent over 10 hours safely removing them so they did enter the building through the ventilation system and pose a threat to patients and workers, according to local media.

When the beehives were removed, it was discovered that the bees had colonised several areas that were difficult to access and even occupied wall cavities on nearby floors.

The insects were able to go into the wall through a small hole found on the side of the building where a security light is fixed.

One of the removed beehives was four times the normal size, according to reports.

Hospital manager Margarita Llaudes thanked the firefighters for their diligent work and said they could have prevented another health risk “in a moment of crisis like this”.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Spain has registered 208,389 cases of COVID-19 and 21,717 related deaths.