The intersection of Sandy Springs Circle and Mount Vernon Highway could be called a hive of construction activity with a swarm of detoured motorists. But on May 26, it drew a literal swarm of bees that Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul captured so that work could continue.
“I used my arm to sweep them off the rock into a five gallon bucket I use for storing my bee supplies and placed a towel over the bucket,” said the mayor, who is a beekeeper in his spare time, in a Facebook post. “They are now safely hived in an undisclosed location.”
The bee colony, estimated by the city to number several thousand insects, had gathered on some cement at the construction site.
Mayor Paul also maintains a beehive at the city’s Lost Corner Preserve Park. During the City Council District 3 special election vote count at City Hall on May 24, he spoke about his recent experience enduring many stings while moving a bee colony that took up residence in a hive on the front porch at a farm he owns. In his Facebook post, Paul said he plans to capture yet another colony of “misplaced bees” in a local structure.
Bees and city workers are not the only ones busy at Sandy Springs Circle and Mount Vernon Highway, where a lengthy road closure is in place until sometime next month. The many businesses along Sandy Springs Circle remain open and accessible by car during the road work and the city encourages residents to continue doing business there.