Bees On a Plane

[seethru]

Interesting article on Firehouse.com's website about some bees that paid a visit to a friendly King Air crew in Burgank:

http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=50794

 

[kneeshoe]

Earlier this summer, hundreds of bees surrounded a Cessna 177 Cardinal that I had just flown and was about to push back into a parking spot. They were concentrated around the cowling and I was thinking they were attracted to the heat. After reading the article, I realized the real reason they surrounded the plane...it was bright yellow and I was parking at KMYF in San Diego. Some bees got into the cockpit because I didn't have time to close the window after I jumped out and noticed them surrounding the plane. I waited for about 15 minutes and they slowly started to leave. I finally built up enough courage to push the plane back with a few remaining bees in the area and was able to safely park it and tie it down.

I have a fear of bees because I was stung on the eye lid many years ago. My eye was swollen for a couple days and it was not the most pleasent experience. Stay away from those bees, they're nothing but trouble!

 

[agpilot34]

I've flown through three swarms of bees this year out on the pipeline... good thing I had the windows shut! Sure made a mess of the windscreen, though.

 

[dseagrav]

My stepdad used to run a bike shop. Someone brought a bike in for minor work, and the assistant mechanic Jon (who was a good wrench and a good guy, but not exactly the sqarest block in the toybox) decided to go take it for a spin around the block to see what the deal with it was. The bike had been outside unattended all morning. He jumped on it, blasted off, made it about 75 feet down the road when he swerved left into a parked car and ran screaming from the bike, followed by a dirty brown cloud. Seems a swarm of bees had gotten up under the gas tank, and when he took off they went straight aft, got inside his shirt, and nailed him in the groin and chest a bunch of times.

 

[91100 100 set]

A month or two ago, I was in Rochester, starting my day. There was a CRJ parked next door (can't remember if it was PSA or Air Whiskey), surrounded by a firetruck, several official looking cars, and a handful of bystanders. I asked the gate agent what was up and he said that there was an "angry swarm of bees" stuck to the plane, right by the fueling panel and the fuel guy wouldn't go near it (can't blame him).

Apparently, they tried a "high speed taxi" up and down the runway to shoo them away. No dice on that, so they brought out a fire truck to hose it off. Sounds like nothing but a bad idea to me, but short of calling a bee keeper or exterminator, probably the only thing they could do.

We were parked right next door, downwind, so we were a little anxious about the potential outcome and wanted to leave ASAP before we had our own little bee problem. They hosed it off just as we were finishing boarding, and I did see one or two bees flying around outside the cockpit windows, and the FA reported a single bee in the cabin by the door, but no more than that.

Interesting way to start the day.

 

[Yellowbird]

Earlier this summer, hundreds of bees surrounded a Cessna 177 Cardinal that I had just flown and was about to push back into a parking spot. They were concentrated around the cowling and I was thinking they were attracted to the heat. After reading the article, I realized the real reason they surrounded the plane...it was bright yellow...

Hmmm... Maybe that expalins the wasp-ish critter I found in my cockpit recently. I swatted him with a sectional, but he revived and came back the next time I went up. I finished him off with a kneeboard.

I did find a small nest in one of the wing fresh air intakes last year, but it had been long vacant.