Feature Stories
PHOTO: A drone's eye view of the bee extraction team at work.
By Kathryn Donelson
In February of 2021, Winter Storm Uri’s arctic blast burst through much of the southern United States. Millions of people across Texas, Oklahoma and other affected states hunkered down, huddled together to keep warm against the inhospitable conditions.
Impacts from the storm were widespread, causing damage to homes, businesses, and countless oil and gas assets. In the subsequent months, ConocoPhillips IT personnel undertook assessments across thousands of miles of assets, including the vital telecommunications equipment that connects hardware and enables communications across the Lower 48 field operations.
“As we assessed the damage in Eagle Ford, we noticed that the signal coming from one of the dishes was weak,” said Network Engineer Jesus Sarabia. “We observed that a dish on the Funke communications tower had a hole in it, likely from a chunk of ice that had fallen from the top of the tower, and the opening was now inhabited by a large number of bees.”
A sticky situation
Bees, it seems, are not terribly unlike humans when the mercury dips. During colder weather, rather than hibernating, bees can be unusually active. They tend to stick together within the hive, feasting more than usual to create the energy needed to work their flight muscles to create warmth.
ConocoPhillips personnel assembled a team of subject-matter experts to formulate a plan to relocate the teeming transients safely and responsibly. Amongst the assemblage was a local bee wrangler, a tower climber, HSE representatives, and ConocoPhillips in-house bee expert, User Productivity Director Andy Knight.
Knight has been an avid apiarist for over seven years. He holds a Master Beekeeper certification in the State of Texas and manages several hives on his family’s property outside of Houston.
“By the time we were able to fly the drone up to the hive and get a good look, it was apparent the bees were well established,” said Knight. “The bees were likely drawn to the dish as an ideal habitat – it’s elevated and enclosed, protected from the weather and other threats.”
Comfortably clustered at a height of 65 feet, the Funke tower’s gooey guests were identified as Western Honeybees, or apis mellifara. Like all honeybee species, the Western Honeybee is eusocial, creating colonies with a single fertile female (or “queen”), many normally non-reproductive females or “workers”, and a small proportion of fertile males, ironically called “drones.” Individual colonies can house anywhere from 20,000-50,000+ busy bees.
Given supply chain challenges, the team agreed to a date months later to remove and replace the damaged dish, test the new equipment and safely extract the striped squatters.
Dish replacement and bee extraction day
The team was pleased to wake to warm, sunny skies on October 26 – plan execution day. Any adverse weather conditions would have delayed the operation, and the team was eager to remedy the dish dilemma and relocate the bees.
“It was important that we provide the appropriate protections for those doing the job,” said Knight. “Bees will leave the hive at first light to go forage. Bees returning to the hive from foraging could be easily agitated and more likely to sting. Because of this, we ensured both the equipment handler and the bee wrangler were wearing protective bee suits to guard against this threat.”
Vendors arrived on site with the lift equipment to first remove and replace the damaged dish. The new dish was tested and found to be fully operational with excellent signal strength.
Once the crew was safely back on the ground, Brandon Fehrenkamp with Austin Bee Wranglers was raised up to the dish. He puffed a type of smoke on the hive used to disrupt the bees’ ability to communicate their alarm pheromones. The smoke does not harm the bees but allows them to be managed while minimizing agitation.
“This operation ran very smoothly,” said Fehrenkamp. “I enjoyed working with the team and especially appreciated the excellent communication skills and emphasis on safety.”
With the insects still sluggish, Fehrenkamp made a beeline to his truck to transport them to a farm outside of Austin where they could settle in and pollinate in peace.
“The ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Values were embodied by everyone involved in this operation,” said Field Wireless Supervisor Kate Christenbury. “The team came together, communicated well and often, and upheld our values from start to finish. A safe and successful outcome was agreed to be equally important for both the humans and the bees. We couldn’t have asked for a better result.”
Environmental impact
There are good reasons to safeguard bees. Not only are they cute and fuzzy, they also play a critical role in the health and well-being of the planet.
Humans depend on bees to pollinate plants so they can become a food source. Many fruits and vegetables depend on pollination to be fertilized, including apples, watermelons, pears, blueberries, strawberries, corn, cucumbers, almonds, tomatoes and many more.
Bees are also responsible for producing honey, a byproduct of the nectar the bees eat and collect from flowers. Honey is not only delicious, but also known to have antibacterial and antiseptic properties and is often ingested as an antidote to seasonal allergies.
Honeybees can produce beeswax. Obtained from their glandular secretions, beeswax is used in cosmetics, polishes, candles, pharmaceuticals and other materials.
“The importance of bees and their contribution to our ecosystem and biodiversity cannot be understated and is often undervalued,” said Knight. “At least 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of all plants require cross-pollination to spread and thrive. Pollinators like bees play a key role in one out of every three bites of food we eat. Their survival is essential to ours.”
Honeybees currently face a variety of serious threats. Parasites, disease, pesticides and lack of quality foraging habitat all threaten the health of the bee population. Efforts are underway across the world to help protect these hard-working helpers.
As the Funke tower story demonstrates, ConocoPhillips is committed to doing its part to protect and preserve the health and vitality of the environment, including its tiniest contributors.
How you can help protect pollinators
Plant a bee garden
One of the largest threats to bees is a lack of safe habitat where they can build homes and find a variety of nutritious food sources. By planting a bee garden, you can create a habitat corridor with plants that are rich in pollen and nectar. You don’t need a ton of space to grow bee-friendly plants.
Go chemical-free
Avoid treating your garden and green spaces with synthetics. Instead, use organic products and natural solutions such as compost to aid soil health and adding beneficial insects that keep pests away like ladybugs and praying mantises.
Provide trees for bees
When a tree blooms, it provides hundreds — if not thousands — of blossoms to feed from. Trees are also an essential habitat. With deforestation and development on the rise, you can help bolster bee habitats by caring for trees and joining tree-planting parties in your area.
Create a bee bath
Bees work up quite a thirst foraging and collecting nectar. Fill a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean water and arrange pebbles and stones inside so that they break the water’s surface. Bees will land on the stones and pebbles to take a long, refreshing drink.
Support local beekeepers and organizations
Local beekeepers work hard to nurture their bees and the local community. Show your appreciation by buying locally made honey and beeswax products. Many beekeepers use products from their hives to create soaps, lotions, and beeswax candles.