A swarm of bees held an American policeman hostage in
his car for three hours after tens of thousands of the stingers
escaped from a broken-down lorry, his colleagues said
Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning near the town of
Raleigh in North Carolina when policeman Brandon Jenkins responded
to calls about a vehicle stopped on the side of the road, police
told AFP.
The truck, as it turned out, was transporting 60 beehives to
fertilize some orchards.
Such journeys are routinely done at night so the bees stay in
the hives, but on this occasion, due to the breakdown, the insects
flew out when they sensed light and the warmth of the day
outside.
"They were confused, without their queen, they swarmed the
police car probably because that was the biggest thing around that
they could find," explained Wake County sheriff's spokeswoman
Phyllis Stevens.
Between 30,000 and 50,000 bees were removed from the white
exterior of the police car, which had largely disappeared under the
swarm, she said.
Jenkins, who did not venture outside, called his superiors and
was told to remain where he was and not make the situation worse by
dispersing the bees.
"We had to be very cautious," said Stevens. "Schools are closed
and there are many children around."
Jennifer Keller, a beekeeping expert from North Carolina State
University was called in to help.
"I had never seen anything quite like that," she said. "The bees
had nowhere to go. I guess they used the car as a resting
spot."
Keller sprayed sugar water on the bees, which started licking
each other and regrouping so rescuers could return them to their
hives.
Freed from the swarm, Jenkins then continued on his way.
"I got one sting. I struck a bee, so it was my own fault," said
Keller.