Bees in New Haven firehouse

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Fires and hot weather aren't the only troubles for some firefighters in New Haven. Their firehouse is full of bees.

About 2 weeks ago, the firefighters of Engine 16 on Lighthouse Road in New Haven noticed a lot of honey bees around the edge of the firehouse roof.

• Photos: Bees infest firehouse

"They were never a problem in the firehouse, there never was a problem with contact with firefighters inside," said Assistant Chief Ralph Black.

But the department didn't want to take any chances, so they looked in to getting rid of the bees.

Honey bees are actually endangered. All our crops rely on bees for pollination and they've been dying off at an alarming rate in recent years. So even if the bees can't stay here, they have to go somewhere.

So the fire department called the state, which sent out the state beekeeper, and as he started sucking those bees out of the attic with special equipment it became clear just how many bees we were talking about.

"He took approximately 30-40,000 bees out of the building Tuesday," Black said.

"And there's still more," News 8's Kent Pierce asked.

"There's still more," he said. "He believes we still have 10-15,000 more bees to come out."

That's why the beekeeper was back on Friday. He removed the majority of the bees and hopes to take them to someplace more appropriate, like a professional beekeeper's hive.

"It's free of charge for us to get rid of them and somebody wants them, so it's a win-win situation," Black said.