A two-foot long beehive was removed from a tree outside Masters Ltd. on Dundonald Street yesterday afternoon.

Police closed the road to traffic as two beekeepers were lifted to the tree in a crane and successfully moved the hive just after 1 p.m.

Father and son beekeepers Luwell Woolridge Sr. and Jr. of Beloved's Beekeeping went up in the crane along with Royal Gazette photographer Mark Tatem to remove the swarm.

Mr. Woolridge Jr. said the hive was about two months old.

Prior to going up in the crane, he explained the process of removing the hive: "We'll just cut it down and place it in a box and then rest the box on the roof of Masters. The box will have to stay until nighttime. The bees that are all out working, if we take it away during the day and they came back and it's gone, they would be mad."

He continued: "If we do it at night, the bees will fly from that spot to the box. The box will then be taken to one of our bee yards at nighttime."

The move was necessary, according to his father.

"If we take it [the hive] away, it's a disaster around here. It's like you going home and all your furniture is gone from your house," explained Mr. Woolridge Sr.

Corporation of Hamilton superintendent Steven DeSilva said a co-worker found the hive yesterday.

"One of my staff called me to alert me to the hive and we simply called the bee people," he said. "Nine times out of ten, we are able to assist them."

No one is believed to have been stung in the process.