WASHINGTON — Del Voss stands atop his Capitol Hill rooftop apiary with a soft and professorial tone while explaining the behavior of the thousands of bees he has recently relocated.
"It's almost all girls. They do all the work in the hive," explained Voss. "They literally work themselves to death. They only live about 45 days.
Even the female bees of D.C. don't get the proper credit for their work.
Not that Voss isn't deserving of his due. After all, when a massive swarm of bees presents itself as a menacing mass of fright, city residents need someone to step in and help out.
That's where Voss and his 'Swarm Squad' come in. He and 75 others are members of the DC Beekeepers Alliance. They respond to calls and emails to relocate swarms that end up in places where they are not welcome.
Thousands of people have by now seen a viral video of Voss in Union Market recently calmly scooping bees off of a street post with his bare hands.
"That was a very calm swarm. They were easy to work with," said Voss. "If I'm very gentle, I can actually retrieve those bees and not get stung."
WUSA9 first met Voss two years ago while trying to corral a swarm in Georgetown.
This time around at Union Market, he literally ended up giving an impromptu bee lecture to curious onlookers and recruited volunteers off the street to help, ending up with an audience while rounding up the hive.
"That was about twelve pounds. I think there's about 3,000 bees per pound, said Voss of the estimated 36,000 bees. "It was a big swarm."
Voss briefly relocates the swarms to the roof of his Capitol Hill home before ferrying them in a U-haul truck to a larger spot in Beltsville, Maryland.
He admits it's a pretty sweet hobby.
"Last year I produced about 2,000 pounds of honey. From about 50 bee hives," he said. "It's fun. Especially here in the city. I rescued one on the Senate building one day. It's just interesting."
Voss will often sell his honey on the street corner near his house. It's also sold inside Capitol Hill's Hills Kitchen market.
You can find out more about Voss and his honey HERE.
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