A Delta Air Lines flight from Houston to Atlanta was delayed for nearly four hours Wednesday when a swarm of bees took up residence in one of the plane’s winglets.
“Bee-lieve it or not, Delta flight 1682 on May 3 from Houston-Bush to Atlanta took a delay after a friendly group of bees evidently wanted to talk shop with the winglet of one of our airplanes, no doubt to share the latest about flying conditions at the airport,” Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant said in a statement to USA Today.
The airline said the flight was delayed so as not to disrupt the bees. A video and photos on social media showed crews trying different ways to remove the bees, including blowing exhaust from another vehicle.
The bees were eventually dislodged from the plane when it pushed back from the gate, according to The Houston Chronicle.
#Delta flight #DL1682 was delayed for several hours on Wednesday after a swarm of bees clustered on the plane's wingtip. The flight was initially set to leave #Houston at 12:25pm for #Atlanta, but was delayed until about 4:30pm.
— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) May 5, 2023
📷 © @AnjaliEnjeti#bees #swarm #aviation #AvGeek pic.twitter.com/tt1x8cSHTz
While some asked why a pest control company or beekeeper wasn’t called, the plane’s pilot said they would not be allowed to touch the plane.
It is not unusual for bees to congregate the way they did on the plane, Mike Sexton, also known as The Bee Man, told KHOU. He said he has “taken bee swarms off of tugboats, airplanes, concrete walls.”
Sexton said bee swarms are more active this time of year.
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