A Delta flight from Texas to Georgia was delayed for three hours on Wednesday after a swarm of bees latched onto the plane.
“Delta flight 1682 from Houston-Bush to Atlanta took a delay this afternoon after a friendly group of bees evidently wanted to talk shop with the winglet of our airplanes, no doubt to share the latest about flying conditions at the airport,” Delta said in a statement provided said.
The Airbus A320 flight with 92 passengers and five crew was delayed by around three hours to ensure the surface of the aircraft was clean and to prevent harming the bees, the airline said in its statement.
Tried to blow exhaust from vehicle on the wing tip. Bees were not impressed. pic.twitter.com/ew4x6t0f04
— Anjali "Leave it Blank" Enjeti (@AnjaliEnjeti) May 3, 2023
After several failed attempts to ditch the bees, ground equipment was used to push back the airplane with no passengers on board, the airline said in its statement. This helped to remove the bees from the plane’s wing.
Honey bees typically swarm when an established colony has grown too crowded and the bees fly off to establish a new one. Swarms may contain several thousand bees and typically take place in late spring and early summer.