- A BMW became the temporary home of a swarm of bees while it was being fixed
- AnĀ Autoglass employee from Kent heard an ominous buzzing surrounding him
- Beekeeper Peter Down, 41, managed to get the insects off with his bare hands
A windscreen repairman was left ‘shell shocked’ after a swarm of bees descended on the BMW he was attending.
The Autoglass employee from Kent heard a loud buzzing over his shoulder moments before the insects descended on the car.
He raced back to his van and contacted local beekeeper Peter Down for help.Ā It is thought the insects were in search of a new home having outgrown their previous hive, with the BMW 2 Series deemed the optimum size.
Pictures show the vehicle parked in Lydd,Ā Kent being effectively ‘taken over’ by the swarm.
Mr Down, 41, moved most of the bees into a mobile hive, including the queen so that any left would follow.
A windscreen repairman was left ‘shell shocked’ by a swarm of bees surrounding him as he put a new windscreen on a BMW 2 Series
BeekeeperĀ Peter Down, 41, managed to move the bees from the roof of the car to its frame with his bare hands before removing them completely
Once the bees were removed, the new windscreen was successfully fitted. Also seen is the ‘nuke box’ mobile hive which transported the bees to their new home at Marsh Apiaries
Mercifully, nobody was stung by the swarm – which appeared last Thursday afternoon.
Posting the pictures on Facebook, Marsh Apiaries – who have adopted the bees – commented: ‘These little ladies decided to make a new home in a BeeMW. [sic]
‘All the car wanted was a new window screen and clearly queen bee wanted to do her own inspection along with her fellow honey bees and she approved of the work being done, she is now settled in her new home and the car window screen has been fitted!!’
Mr Down described the ‘shell-shocked look of the windscreen repairman when he arrived at the scene.
‘He said he was getting set up to put the new windscreen in when he heard a lot of buzzing around him and there was a bunch of bees going inside the side window,’ he told Kent Online.
Mr Down explained that when a group of bees outgrows its hive, half of the colony bulk up on honey before heading out in search of a new home. Fortunately, thisĀ also makes them less inclined to sting.
The father-of-five added that he was able to scrape the bees from the roof of the car to the frame before moving them into the ‘nuke box’ – a mobile hive.
‘The Autoglass man came back and actually fitted the window screen and put the BMW back together while there were still bees flying around,’ Mr Down said.