20,000 bees swarm a car trying to save the queen
WEST WALES - 20,000 bees chased a car for two days after the queen bee was trapped inside.
Carol Howarth from Haverfordwest, West Wales had her car swarmed by bees for more than 48 hours while driving her car from a nature reserve.
The incident happened during lunchtime while Howarth was away from her vehicle. Thousands of bees descended on her car creating a “big brown spoldge.”
It is believed that the queen bee was trapped inside Howarth’s car and the swarm had followed. That theory was squashed quickly after Howarth could not find a bee anywhere in her car. According to The Telegraph, bees can swarm this time of year and it is a very strong instinct for bees to follow the queen.
One beekeeper said, “"It is possible the queen had been attracted to something in the car - perhaps a sweet or food in the car.”
"I have been beekeeping for 30 years and I have never seen a swarm do that. It is natural for them to follow the queen but it is a strange thing to see and quite surprising to have a car followed for two days. It was quite amusing," said Retired GP Roger Burns of Pembrokeshire Beekeepers.
It took 5 different beekeepers and multiple bee stings to remove the bees. The bees were contained inside a cardboard box.