More than a dozen boxes of bees mysteriously appeared near a northeast Houston neighborhood Monday morning, alarming area residents.

VIDEO

Where Did The Mysterious Bees Come From?

A BEE'S LIFE

The youngest workers clean the hive.

After 3 days they are promoted to feeding the larvae.

After 10 days their job is to build the comb.

After 16 days they start filling the comb with pollen and nectar.

After 20 days they guard the entrance of the hive.

Finally they leave the hive to gather nectar.

Bees live from a few weeks to a few months depending on the season.

The bees appeared in a field near Veterans Memorial and Walter Road and quickly spread to nearby trees. Neighbors called city crews but were told that because the bees were on private property they could not remove them. J.W. Gilliam said that the residents were told to get a court order to have the bees removed or to contact the beehive owner. "It is so close," Gilliam said. "They don't have to place them so close to where we live. There are animals, animals and the elderly near the bees." Amber Gilliam said that she is afraid for the safety of her son. "My son rides his four-wheeler and neighborhood kids ride their bikes through where the bees are," Gilliam said. A white rig was also found near the bees, although area residents don't know who that belongs to. "We have a health issue here," Gilliam said. "What if there are people with allergies or what if a kid gets stung maybe more than 200 or 300 times? Who is responsible?"

Taking The Sting Out Of Bee Stings

Remove Stinger You must properly remove a honey bee's stinger and venom sac from your skin promptly. The best way to remove the stinger and sac is to use the back of your thumbnail or a credit card or a dull knife blade to scrape along your skin underneath the barb and flick it out, without squeezing the venom sac. Ice Sore Spot Put an ice cube on the sting site to keep down the swelling and pain. Use ice on and off for about the first 10 minutes -- put it on for a few minutes, leave it off a few minutes, and so on, one doctor suggested. Apply Baking-Soda Paste Make a paste from baking soda and water and place it on the sting. Comfort Sting With Compress To ease soreness and itching, apply a compress made from a washcloth soaked in cool water. Or soak a mini-compress in Burow's Solution (available in drugstores as Domeboro Astringent Solution powder packets) and hold it on the itchy site. Soothe The Itch More itch relief can come from dabbing calamine lotion on the sting or from soaking in a soothing bath prepared with a powdered oatmeal, such as Aveeno. Use Antihistamine Some people develop a severe local allergic reaction to a sting, which is very uncomfortable but not life-threatening, as long as it is contained to the sting site. If you experience a lot of itching, and the sting is swelling rapidly, try taking one dose of an over-the-counter antihistamine, such as Benadryl (the active ingredient is diphenhydramine). Elevate The Area If a sting becomes so swollen that it actually aches, elevate the stung arm, leg or other body part so that gravity helps fluid leave the area, reducing swelling and the soreness that comes with it. Information provided by www.healthyideas.com