ALL THE BUZZ

North Penn: Classrooms to stay closed until bees removed

Three classes relocated as precaution, say district

North Penn High School. Photo by James Short.

Three classes relocated as precaution, say district

  • Schools

North Penn School District officials have given another update on a problem that’s created plenty of buzz as students went back to school Wednesday.

“On Monday, August 26th, before the start of the school year, honey bees were found in two classrooms at North Penn High School. It was determined that the honey bees entered exterior weep holes and built a hive in the cavity between the interior block wall and exterior brick of the building. The bees then found their way into the two classrooms through the ceiling,” said district spokeswoman Christine Liberaski.

On Monday night, district staff announced that an estimated 10,000 bees had been found in one classroom, were removed by district staff, and that a beekeeping company was planning to come at the end of the week to remove the hive and queen bee from behind a wall. On Tuesday, the district said there were no bees in the impacted classrooms in the morning, but bees did return to one classroom later in the day, and that room would not be used until the situation was resolved.

On Wednesday, Liberaski gave another update, saying the class in the affected room had been "relocated to a different area of the building until the issue is resolved."

"As a precautionary step, the two rooms on either side of the classroom where the bees returned have also been relocated. The hive will be removed on Friday when schools are closed for the long holiday weekend," she said.

North Penn’s school board next meets at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the district Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock St.; for more information visit www.NPenn.org.

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.



author

Dan Sokil | The Reporter

Dan Sokil has been a staff writer for The Reporter since 2008, covering Lansdale and North Wales boroughs; Hatfield, Montgomery, Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd Townships; and North Penn School District.