What’s the Buzz About the Bees?

Notoriously known for taking over our school, the bees are back for the holiday season. The most annoying part of walking to class or sitting outside at lunch is constantly being bothered by them, and students are tired of it. “The bees are annoying, they’re always flying around your face and landing on you,” said senior Elizabeth Rodriguez.

This has been an ongoing issue at UHS for a while, with even other schools referring to ours as “The Bee School”. While this reputation may seem silly, there are also some serious health concerns that come with the bees being here. Over the years, there have been numerous reports of bee stings on campus, making this a safety issue. “Several students have come to me with bee stings and many students around campus carry around an Epipen in case they get stung and have an allergic reaction,” said Nurse Bauman.

    There have been previous efforts to tackle the bee problem, but no matter what is done, they always seem to find their way back to our campus. “The district won’t let us exterminate the bees because they are an endangered species so there’s not much we can do unless we completely remove the nests and relocate them more than a 10 mile radius”, said Assistant Principal Abalo. “What we’ve been doing is during lunch, we set the trash cans with no lids away from students.”  Bees naturally tend to want to stay where they settle, so if they are moved, they typically return. Additionally, the food found in trash cans is an extra motivator for the bees to stay. That’s why it’s usually around lunchtime that they swarm the courtyard, looking for their next meal.

So, it looks like the bees are, unfortunately, here to stay. On the bright side, however, they aren’t going to bother anyone unless they are bothered. All the bees want is to pollinate flowers and serve their queen, and if our campus is where they decide to stay, then so be it. “I don’t really mind the bees and don’t really even notice them that much”, said senior Andrew De La Torre. “As long as they don’t bother me, it’s all good.”