US man returns from swift shopping trip to find 15,000 bees in his car

[demmiblue]

New Mexico man did not initially notice giant swarm, which had got in through an open window while he was inside supermarket

A man who went shopping in New Mexico returned to a car filled with 15,000 honey bees who had apparently got in through an open window while he spent 10 minutes buying groceries.

Astonishingly, the man – who was not named in the New York Times report detailing his unexpected travel companions – did not notice the sudden presence of a giant swarm of buzzing insects on his vehicle’s back seat until he was driving away.

“Then he turned back and looked and like was ‘holy cow’,” Jesse Johnson, an off-duty firefighter and paramedic whose hobby is beekeeping, said of the man’s reaction in an interview with the paper. “He called 911 because he didn’t know what to do.”

Johnson, and his fellow firefighters, helped the man remove the bees and put them in an empty hive box.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/01/new-mexico-man-bees-car-supermarket

[brewens]

1. I had a swarm on day in the intersection just off my yard. I went outside for something and heard

a weird hum. I noticed a couple bees buzzing around me then looked over to see the swarm filled the intersection and might have been 50 feet high. It was impressive. I had to leave or I would have tried to see where they went.

[Kid Berwyn]

2. I hate it when that happens.

Talk about a buzz kill.

[jcgoldie]

3. They were looking for a new home

When the bees swarm like this they have a queen at the center of that ball and they are waiting as scouts scope out the area for a suitable new home. They are ordinarily at their most docile despite their chaotic appearance because they do not have any hive or stores to defend they are just a bunch of folks waiting patiently like at the DMV...

[LAS14]

17. I love your description! nt

[Journeyman]

4. Good thing they didn't get into the vehicle's bonnet . . .

might never have gotten rid of them.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

13. Good one!

[marmar]

5. They could have the car at that point. I'd turn over the title to them.

[Hugin]

6. If it were an election day...

He could be arrested in TX.

See thread floating around here somewhere.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

7. I had a similar experience years ago.

It was in 1979, Spring time doing some yard work when I heard a buzzing noise. I looked up above my head and saw a swarm of bees. I screamed bloody hell and ran. It flew out of my backyard , along my driveway, out to the street. I was never so scared, as I am allergic to bee stings.

Never had that happen again.

[EYESORE 9001]

9. Bees are quite docile when they are swarming

That doesn't make the sight any less scary, however.

[EYESORE 9001]

8. When a swarm decides on a new home, they take over swiftly

This happened one day at a place I worked. A swarm of honeybees decided that a steel post was their new home and entered through a small hole. The queen went inside and the post was absolutely covered with bees outside. Fortunately for the bees, there was a 'bee whisperer' in the workforce to deal with them and provide a new home. He went up to the post where they were with only a cardboard box and a wooden 'tire thumper' (resembles a small baseball bat and occasionally gets people in trouble for carrying one, as it can be construed as an illegal weapon, but I digress) - no protective clothing whatsoever. He made a small opening in the box, which he placed adjacent to the hole in the post where the queen had gone. He tapped the side of the box with the tire thumper rhythmically and bees started going inside. My jaw dropped as bees filed into the box. He continued until he was sure the queen was inside and all the stragglers made their way into the box. He then closed off the hole and took them home to a hive that was all ready for them. The company gave him the rest of the day off with pay, which I thought was fair, considering the expense they would have had if they had called in professionals.

[FakeNoose]

10. Bees will do anything to protect their queen

As long as you pose no threat to the queen, they don't mind being moved. I'd be happy to step back and let a trained beekeeper do this though.

[maxrandb]

11. When I was stationed in Lemoore, CA

We came upon a tractor trailer wreck. Guy had been transporting bees around the farms for pollination. Thankfully we had our windows up, but man...that was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Didn't see it, but there was also a story of a guy walking out his door and finding live and dead pigs in his front yard. Another truck accident.

Living in the San Joaquin Valley was Wild!

[panader0]

15. Off subject but had to mention that I had a job at Lemoore for about two months

removing old furniture from the barracks and installing new furniture. When we stepped out of our motel rooms in the
morning we were hit with the smell of cow shit--very strong. And the fog nearly every morning on the way to the base.
Not much to do in Lemoore, but we managed a trip to the giant sequoias in the nearby National Forest.
Kind of surprising to see such a big naval base so far from the ocean.

[maxrandb]

19. Lemoore was a great place to get away from

About an hour one way, we were at the coast. An hour the other way was the Sequoia Forest.

The worst was when they used poultry manure. About 10 times worse than cow manure.

Fog was unbelievable, and I could find Black Widow spiders EVERYWHERE!

[Sneederbunk]

12. Fortunately there was a certified bee counter nearby.

[Hugh Bloody Bastards]

14. What is the bloody fool complaining about???

I would be thrilled to find 15,000 beers in my car!

[IronLionZion]

16. I'm still waiting for murder hornets

or cicadas

[roamer65]

18. Quite the buzz I bet.