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My Ears were Buzzing

By Tim Berry, JD - Email Editor

May 2010

Dear Valued Reader,

Monday afternoon I went over to our side yard to take out our recycling bin. Our side yard is probably similar to a lot of side yards you guys have, it holds the garbage and recycling bins, pool toys, pool filter, and various other odds and ends. Typically you only travel to this wasteland when its time to either backwash the pool or take out the garbage.

Until Monday afternoon.

When I went to get the recycling bin, I heard a loud buzzing noise. At first I thought it might be power lines (yeah, I'm an airhead there are no power lines near us) but the buzzing kept changing in pitch and tone. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement.

Yep, there was a massive bee orgy taking place right next to me. It appears my new found friends discovered our unused hot tub and decided to take it over.

Being the worry wart that I am, I immediately rounded up the kids, mine and the neighbors, and told them to stay away from that area, then blocked off access so our mutts couldn't get back there as well. The reason for all the hoopla is that in Arizona we have the so called "killer bees". That is to say bees that will attack in massive swarms for the slightest little disturbance.

The next step was straight out of the hen pecked husband manual. I made a bee line (sorry, couldn't resist) for my wife and asked her what we should do. It was reassuring when she hugged me and told me, "Honey (sorry again) everything is going to be all right", she would call our pest control service to get rid of the bees.

Bright and early Tuesday morning the beekeeper arrived and took away our little visitors. Crisis averted.

But the reason for this article is what happened about an hour later. Our gardeners showed up in full force with the mowers mowing and the blowers blowing and making all sorts of racket. Right in the side area of the yard where the bees were. What do you think would have happened if my wife hadn't made sure the pest service took the bees away at the crack of dawn? Who would have been liable if as the gardener was doing their thing, a hive of bees came shooting out of the hot tub and attacked? Let's expand the scope of the liability. What if the neighbor kids threw a ball over the fence accidently jolting the bee's party house and causing an attack? Think I could be found liable?

Sure, I've got a homeowner's insurance policy, but when was the last time an insurance company actually paid on a claim? I've heard it's happened before but I can't think of many positive experiences when dealing with insurance companies. Let's say the insurance company was actually going to back me up, but to what limits? What if the worst case happened and the bees truly were "killer" bees.

Life is full of uncertainty. I'm still blown away that I actually had a hive of bees make its home in our unused hot tub. I put the odds of that occurring at something like one in a million, but it did happen.

I can't tell you how many times I talk to people who say they have a low liability existence, they are employees, they don't have rentals, no teen age drivers, etc. The point of asset protection is you don't know what could happen, life is just too full of variables. Make sure that if something completely random like this occurs to you, you are protected.

By Tim Berry

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