LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In Early February, people in one east Las Vegas neighborhood had no clue what had been falling from the sky and onto their properties for three weeks, covering nearly everything around them.
Marcos Cervantes reached out to 13 Action News, worried that the substance could be toxic. Thursday, the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability found out what the black, brown, and sometimes oil-like substance was.
PREVIOUS: No explanation for 'mystery liquid' falling from sky over neighborhood
"It's what's called bee frass," said public information officer Kevin MacDonald, "also known as fecal matter so, uh, bee poop."
Lab results confirmed the identification as bee feces, and, while bee poop is harmless, MacDonald said it was important they checked.
"It was more or less a nuisance," he said, "but we've seen other areas around the world that industrial pollution can lead to environmental and health impacts."
Bee keeper and honey salesman Joshua Hammons wasn't stunned to learn the drops were bee droppings.
"I chuckled to myself when I read that, because I know exactly what it is," he said. "My truck that I haul bees with, yeah, it gets covered. It's very hard to wash off."
Hammons said the weeks before spring are a prime time for things like this to happen, as bees emerge and swarm in new areas.
The key, he said, is not to harm the little guys, as they're critical for pollinating plants.
"Without bees, humans would only last for two or three more years because, inevitably, the food source would run out," Hammons said.
Hammons said the best thing to do if you encounter a swarm of bees is give him a call or text so he can pick them up safely and put them to work.
He said anyone could reach him at 801-529-7562 or at hammonshoney.com.
