A resident from Las Cruces, New Mexico was bewildered after going into the grocery store to grab a few items, only to return to his car and find 15,000 honey bees were swarming in the backseat.
when he returned to his car. Right as he began to drive away is when he noticed the bees in the back and stopped the car.
“He turned back and looked and like was, ‘Holy Cow,’ ” Jesse Johnson, an off-duty firefighter and paramedic whose hobby is beekeeping, told NYTimes. “He called 911 because he didn’t know what to do.”
The police and fire department drove out to the scene, along with Jesse, who offered to assist with relocating the bees to a new location.
“I’ll do anything to keep people from killing the bees,” Jesse said.
Bee experts say it’s common for colonies of bees to split the colony in the spring and a swarm of bees follows a new queen to a new location. Authorities believe this may be the reason why all the bees decided to relocate inside the man’s car.
“Luckily, when bees are swarming, they’re pretty docile,” Jesse said. “They don’t have a home to protect for a moment. It’s much more intimidating than it is dangerous.”
Jesse put on his protective white beekeeper’s jacket and veil and took about 20 to 30 minutes to carefully remove each bee. He placed them in an empty hive box and put them in the back of his truck to transport to his home where they would be safe.
He said he currently has four hives on his property and had up to twelve at one point. The bees should be safe there and in a place where they can thrive.
Video About The Bees Below
