Erika Thompson is a professional beekeeper from Texas who often shares her beekeeping adventures on TikTok, helping people learn more about these magnificent creatures. She recently uploaded a clip that shows her saving a honey bee colony from an old suitcase, and it’s safe to say that the social media users were impressed.
The video shows Thompson discovering a colony of bees in an old red suitcase that was discarded by the road. While there was no food or brood in their hive, the bees seemed “very gentle,” according to Thompson, unless they needed to deal with intruders like wasps.
Since an old suitcase is far from an appropriate home for bees, Thompson decided to provide bees with a new home in which they can thrive. The bees seemed quite happy to leave the suitcase and only needed a bit of smoke to help them move.
The video was watched more than 12 million times, with other TikTok users rushing to show their appreciation for Thompson’s efforts to save the bees.
“You’re singlehandedly doing amazing things for our ecosystem! Thank you for all that you do,” one user wrote.
“You are one of my favorite TikTok accounts! Thank you for the amazing work you do,” another added.