You've got to 'bee' kidding me: Flight delayed after bees swarm wingtip

HOUSTON, Texas (TND) — Passengers waiting on a Delta Air Lines flight Wednesday had a unique delay when a swarm of bees decided to latch onto the plane's wingtip.

The flight was delayed for several hours as crews attempted to get them to buzz off.

One passenger tweeted about the event and provided a play-by-play of what was happening.

My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings," journalist and author, Anjali Enjeti, wrote. "They won't let us board until they remove the bees. But how on earth will this happen? Won't they leave the wing when we take off?

At one point a beekeeper was called but eventually called off because they are not allowed to touch the plane, according to Enjeti. Pest control was also considered but they were not permitted to spray the plane.

When those options didn't work, the airline tried blowing exhaust on the swarm but Enjeti stated the "bees were not impressed."

With an anti-climatic ending, the bees were finally shaken loose when the plane pushed back from the gate, a Delta spokesperson told CBS News.

"Bee-lieve it or not, 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," the spokesperson added.

According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, swarming is the natural mode of protection for a honey bee colony in spring.

Most swarms leave the colony in good weather between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., fly to a nearby tree or bush and land on a limb...Scout bees come out of the cluster of the swarm and search the local area for a protected location for the colony," the department said. "The scout bees communicate the information to the swarm and a "decision" is made, whereupon the bees leave the branch and proceed to their new location.