During the reacent Sky coverage of the Indian Wells quarter finals held in California, it was reported that there was a buzzing noise in the stadium. During the second game the buzzing noise was becoming louder and a cloud of bees was spotted hovering around a camera on the court. Carlos Alcaraz was seen flinging his arms around and was stung twice on the head. The game was postponed until a Beekeeper arrived and removed the bees.

Why Do Bees Swarm

When a honeybee colony becomes too crowded, stressed or resources are stretched, the queen bee will lay eggs in special queen cells. Once these new queen bees emerge, the old queen and about half of the worker bees will leave the hive, while the new queen takes over the original hive.
The swarm will typically cluster nearby, under the eaves, on the side of a wall or in a tree. You can spot a swam as it will look like a rugby ball or basketball of bees. During this period scout bees will search for a suitable new location for the colony.

Swarm season starts in spring and normally last from two to three weeks. The swarm can take anything from half a day to five days to find a home
A swarm of bees can understandably cause concern after all a large cloud of bees flying towards you can be both fascinating and yet potentially alarming.
What you must remember is the swarm is focused on finding a new and less protective in defending the hive. Swarming bees will only become aggressive if you provoke them, maybe someone should have mentioned that to Carlos Alcaraz as flinging your arms around is like a red flag to a bull when it comes to bees.

Encountering a swarm of honey bees can if not properly handled be extremely dangerous to anyone that maybe allergic to a bee sting. If you do encounter a swarm of bees your best bet is to contact a local beekeeper, there are lots of Beekeepers associations around the county that will advise you.

At this point I must make it clear that we at TLC Pest Control are pest controllers that specialise in the live removal and relocation of honey bees, we are not beekeepers but we are always willing to help with any enquires. We firmly believe that educating the public about the importance of honeybee and their role in the ecosystem and survival of humans to heighten the awareness to the general public how truly fascinating bees are, after all without bees’ plants and crops don’t get pollinated and we don’t eat.