A New Mexico man who had gone grocery shopping found a swarm of thousands of bees in his backseat when he returned to his car.
The bees entered the man’s car through an open window in the backseat while it was parked at an Albertson’s grocery store in Las Cruces, the Star-Telegram reported Monday.
The man had begun to drive off after placing his groceries in the trunk, unaware of the swarm of bees, according to a Facebook post from the Las Cruces Fire Department. The man called 9-1-1 and firefighters arrived on the scene at 4 p.m. to discover approximately 15,000 bees.
An off-duty firefighter, Jesse Johnson, who is also a beekeeper in his spare time, helped removed the swarm of bees, KRQE reported. Johnson had the attire and tools to deal with the bees.
The fire crew was reportedly on the scene for two hours as Johnson removed the swarm from the car. The bees were eventually relocated to the firefighter’s property in a neighboring city. (RELATED: ‘Chestburster’ Parasite Looks Like Hair And Turns Insects Into Zombies, Wildlife Experts Say)
A firefighter in New Mexico used his experience as a beekeeper to safely relocated thousands of bees that invaded a parked car. https://t.co/TxXJPfG72P
— WBTV News (@WBTV_News) March 30, 2021
“The Las Cruces Fire Department does not regularly remove bee swarms,” the Facebook post stated while emphasizing the removal of the swarm was necessary due to the risk it presented to shoppers.
A security guard was reportedly stung by the swarm during the event, KOAT reported, but no major injuries were sustained despite some close encounters.