Aggressive Backyard Bees in Rowlett Make Some Neighbors Feel Like Prisoners in Their Homes

While the sun was out, the weather fair, Nancy Savattere spent her weekend indoors at her Rowlett home.

"I didn't know it was this bad until this weekend, until I tried to enjoy the outside," Savattere said. "I had to enjoy the inside because of them."

The "them" she referred to were bees.

"You can see them swarming over here," Savattere said, pointing to her neighbor's fence. "It's like once you see one, you know you're fixin' to get it!"

Savattere said her son's girlfriend, a neighbor, their dogs, and her dogs have all been stung. One of her dogs was stung Monday afternoon as our NBC 5 camera rolled.

"This is the last thing I have to worry about is a neighbor with bees swarming everywhere," Savattere said. "I'm in the swarm now. You've got me in your beehive situation."

The neighbor with the backyard bees is Glen Gowen, who didn't want to go on camera, but confirmed to NBC 5 on Monday he got a 10-day notice from the city of Rowlett to get rid of his bees. Gowen said he'd already done so, by smothering his hive on Saturday after his neighbors expressed concern.

Gowen said he started beekeeping as a hobby in the spring.

"I'm uninterested in harming other people or doing anything that's harming their property," Gowen told NBC 5.

As he spoke to NBC 5, bees stung him and our photojournalist. Gowen insisted those weren't his bees, but "robber bees" trying to raid his now dead hive.

NBC 5 contacted bee expert Harold Wright with Bee Safe Bee Removal. He said it was unlike "robber bees" to be aggressive, as they have no hive to defend, but that the aggressive bees could be stragglers from the original hive looking for their queen.

"I feel like I'm in jail," Savattere said. "I don't feel safe walking outside."