A swarm of bees has gathered on the wing of a Delta Airlines plane.
A swarm of bees gathered on the wings of a Delta Airlines plane in the US on Wednesday, delaying the flight for several hours as personnel tried to keep the insects from buzzing, according to a CBS News report.
Flight data showed that the plane was originally scheduled to depart Houston for Atlanta at 12:25 p.m. Eastern Time, but was delayed until approximately 4:30 p.m. due to a bee swarm.
As soon as the bees were discovered, a passenger on the plane tweeted what happened, including the suggestion of contacting a beekeeper to clear the insects out of the area.
“My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have gathered on the tip of one of the wings. They won’t let us board until they remove the bees. But how on earth will that happen? Will they Won’t the wings drop when we fly?” Anjali Anjeti, one of the passengers said in a tweet. He also shared a picture of bees trapped in the wing of the aircraft.
My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have gathered on the tip of one of the wings. They won’t let us climb until they remove the bees. But how on earth would this happen? Will they not drop wings when we fly? pic.twitter.com/DhodBz0m5n
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
She continued, “The gate agent just announced that they’re calling someone over to look at the bees. Who? Don’t we need a bee expert to identify and remove the queen and don’t the rest follow her?” do?”
The airline reportedly considered several measures, including insect treatments and contacting a beekeeper, as it was unsure whether the bees would leave once the plane took off.
According to Ms Anzetti, the pilot later provided an update on the issue – that the beekeeper was never contacted as they were not allowed to touch the aircraft and that pest control was not allowed to spray the aircraft. He said, “Seeing the beekeeper being lifted off the wing of the plane will be one of the highlights of my life. It will be hard to let go. The disappointment is real.”
In another tweet, he said, “Tried blowing vehicle fumes on the tip of the wings. Bees not affected.”
The passenger also said that many people were jittery and frustrated due to the delay in the flight. “I wish you could try to explain to the people here on the phone why our flight is delayed.”
“Omg y’all. The entire flight crew was elated. Delta decided to give up our gate for another flight. As soon as our plane engine started, the bees left!!! All Delta had to do was get the plane turned on,” he added.
Hey, God. The entire flight crew was evacuated. Delta decided to assign another flight to our gate. As soon as our plane’s engine started, the bees took off!!! All Delta had to do was turn on the plane. pic.twitter.com/gILlJ8EMZg
— Anjali Enjeti (she/her) (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
According to a Delta spokesperson, bees flew when the plane pushed past the gate without any passengers. “Bee believe it or not, Delta flight 1682 from Houston-Bush to Atlanta was delayed this afternoon because a friendly group of bees apparently wanted to talk shop with our airplane’s winglets, doubtless due to flight conditions.” airport to share the latest about,” the spokesperson told CBS News.