Las Vegas, NV – October 23, 2026 – Walmart is receiving recognition in Las Vegas for a decision that rarely makes news: when honey bees settle on its properties, the company always chooses to save them.
In the past week, two honey bee colonies were removed alive from Walmart properties in the Las Vegas Valley and relocated to a managed apiary, where they continue to forage and produce honey.
For a corporation of Walmart’s size, the choice carries weight. Honey bees that settle in a parking lot, a light pole, or the side of a building near a busy entrance are often treated as a liability, and a large retailer has every practical incentive to clear them as quickly as possible.
In Las Vegas, where Africanized honey bees are present, that instinct is understandable. Walmart has instead consistently arranged, for a few years now, to have a beekeeper to remove the colony alive, which resolves the safety concern and keeps the bees in the local population.
The two colonies relocated this week followed that same pattern. Bees moved into two different utility boxes and had to be taken care of right away. Both removals were completed without disruption to customers or operations.
“This is not a small thing for a company that size,” said Pete Rizzo, a beekeeper with Vegas Bees, the local company that handled both removals. “Walmart could treat a hive on its property as a problem to be cleared, and nobody would think twice about it.
Instead, the call we get is to come get the bees and keep them alive. A company with that much reach choosing to protect pollinators sets an example that other property owners can follow.”
The decision matters beyond the two hives. Honey bees pollinate a wide range of food crops and garden plants, and the Las Vegas Valley has a limited number of reliable forage sources. Every colony that is relocated rather than lost continues to contribute to local pollination and to the honey bee population, which faces ongoing pressure from habitat loss, pests, and disease.
Beekeepers say the approach also makes practical sense for property owners. A colony that is removed alive by a trained beekeeper is taken out whole, including the comb and brood, which reduces the chance that bees will return to the same spot.
Property managers who find a hive on their grounds are advised to keep customers and staff away from the area and to contact a beekeeper who performs live removal. A colony left undisturbed in a contained location generally poses little risk until it is approached, and a prompt call gives a beekeeper time to plan the removal.
About Vegas Bees
Vegas Bees is a Las Vegas-based live bee removal and relocation company serving Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and greater Clark County. The company was founded in 2022 by working beekeeper Betsy Lewis. Its mission is to remove unwanted bee colonies safely and keep them alive by relocating them to managed apiaries.
Contact: Betsy LewisPhone: (702) 472-3869Email: Betsy-pete@vegasbees.comhttps://vegasbees.com
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Company Name: Vegas Bees
Contact Person: Betsy Lewis
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Phone: 7024723869
Address:612 Thrush Drive
City: Las Vegas
State: Nevada
Country: United States
Website: https://vegasbees.com/