In Chile, amateur beekeeper rescues hives from coastal tourist city

Amateur beekeeper Angel Nieto, known as "the Bee Rescuer", prepares to remove a swarm of bees from a tree on a private property, in Vina del Mar, Chile December 3, 2022. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

VINA DEL MAR, Chile (Reuters) - A goldsmith by trade, Angel Nieto carefully pries away a beehive from an inner-city tree in Chile's coastal Vina del Mar. Without a protective mask, he gently places the hive in a painted wooden box and carries it to a protected space he prepared in his garden earlier.

Nieto decided this year to learn how to remove and transplant the beehives and honeycombs that appeared in the city as colonies reproduced over the Southern Hemisphere spring, in an attempt to help protect the key pollinating insect from residents who would likely destroy the hives.