Florida woman finds thousands of bees living in ceiling of home

A Maitland homeowner called Eyewitness News after she found an unusual problem buzzing inside her home.

"It was kind of a sickeningly sweet smell, as the way I thought of it," said resident Joy Goff-Marcil.

Goff-Marcil said she couldn't pinpoint where the smell was coming from or what it was.

"The beekeeper came and said there could be 20,000 to 50,000 in there. I felt panicked at first, actually, because I thought maybe they are going to come out the air-conditioning vents," said Goff-Marcil.

It was then she realized the problem wouldn't leave on its own.

"Proper removal is capturing the queen, removing the mass of the bees and removing all the combs," said Cliff Best of CL Best Honey Bees.

Best exposed the hive that was inside the ceiling right above Goff-Marcil's bed.

Best said central Florida is in the middle of what's called a "Honey Flow" where bees are most active in colonizing in people's homes.

Experts said if this happens, homeowner's should call their insurance agent to find out if the policy covers the bee removal.

Bee experts said spraying the bees with pesticides isn't effective because it doesn't get rid of the bee's wax or the larvae, which could eventually start to rot within the walls.