FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Stinging insect expert Eric “Critter” McCool is taking his love for bees and other insects one step further with plans to open “Bee Nation,” a museum and store in Franklin dedicated to the field.
McCool, best known by his nickname, “Critter,” is a Franklin native who has become widely known for his work with bees and other stinging insects. He says it all began at the age of 12 when he began catching animals for people in exchange for ice cream sandwiches.
“I did it for anyone who wanted to pay in ice cream, and it turned into a business,” McCool told exploreVenango.com.
The business evolved and McCool began offering pest removal services.
“At 14, I started charging money and turned it into a company by 16, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
He operated his business in the area for 25 years before moving to South Carolina. However, he ended up making his way back to Franklin where he has been operating Critter McCool Bee Extractions, a pesticide-free bee removal service.
Currently, McCool is ranked as one of the leading experts on bee extractions in the world, with over 35,000 jobs under his belt. He has also done some of the largest documented nest extractions in history, including the removal of the largest yellow jacket nest ever documented, the largest single piece of honeycomb ever documented, and one of the largest colonies of honeybees documented from St. Mark’s United Church of Christ near Knox in 2006.
Recently, along with his business, McCool has decided to take his love of his field a step further. He’s currently in the process of opening “Bee Nation,” a new facility that will be located 1318 15th Street, known as the former Airways building, in Franklin.
Bee Nation will include several related projects. The first floor’s main attraction will be the nation’s first Pest Control Museum, which will display a collection of pest control products and tools from 150 years of the industry’s history, not just relating to stinging insects.
According to McCool, the displays will include a wide range of pest control sprayers, traps, fly swatters, packaged products, and more, that he has been collecting throughout his 30+ year career in the field.
The museum will also have a section of the massive yellow jacket nest that McCool removed in South Carolina.