Man Has Nightmare Experience After Finding 15,000 Bees in His Car

April
1, 2021

2 min read

A New Mexico man got more than he bargained for when he returned to his car following a stop at the grocery store. 

According to the Las Cruces Fire Department’s Facebook annoncement, firefighters were dispatched to a car last Sunday after the vehicle’s owner noticed a swarm of at least 15,000 bees had made its way into his car. The driver had apparently made a stop at a local Albertsons, placed his groceries inside the car and found the swarm in the car’s backseat as he was driving. The car’s window had apparently been down at the time of the incident. 

The fire department said it cordoned off the area before bringing in off-duty firefighter Jesse Johnson, who is a beekeeper during his spare time. Johnson reportedly responded to the scene with the necessary tools to safely remove the bees, including a hive kit, lemongrass oil, gloves and proper gear. 

Related: 5 Things Worker Bees Can Learn From Actual Bees

“The fire crew was on scene for nearly two hours while the bees were removed and rehomed,” the department wrote on Facebook. “A security guard at Albertson’s was stung and it is possible a few patrons may have had close encounters, but no major injuries were reported.”

The bees were eventually moved to Johnson’s property, which is outside of the city’s limits, the department added. 

Naturally, the news — which, as of this writing, has been reshared over 100 times — appeared to take some fellow Facebook users by surprise. 

“Why and how did so many bees get in the car? How long would it take to fill a car with bees?” one person wrote. “While you are shopping? Great job.”

“How in the world do you get so many bees in your car to begin with?” another added. 

Others took the opportunity to poke fun at the situation. 

“Oh beeehave….great job Jesse!” one user wrote of the firefighter who removed the bees.

“Bee-Z day for LCFD,” a second commented.