Watch CBS News

Bees Delay Flight At Pittsburgh International Airport

DORMONT (KDKA) -- At Pittsburgh International Airport, the buzz is all about bees on a plane.

Wednesday night, a Delta commuter flight loaded with passengers and about to take off for New York, was delayed.

"They were getting ready to fuel and they came around the corner of the plane and right there on the wing is a cluster of honeybees," Master beekeeper Stephen Repasky of Meadow Sweet Apiaries said. "It was a shocker to a lot of people."

Swarms of bees are actually nothing new at the airport. Last May, 25,000 to 30,000 landed on the Taxiway-C light.

"At the airport, this would be the fourth swarm that we've caught this year out there," he said.

Repasky scooped them into a box for later release. The Delta bees are now safely in his Dormont backyard.

Swarms form when colonies become too large. The queen leaves with half of the bees to find a new home.

"So it could be a tree 40-feet up, it could be the wing of a jet liner," Repasky explained.

He suspects that there's a wild honeybee colony somewhere on airport property. They are a protected species, meaning you can't kill them. They must be moved.

"Specifically, the airport authority have gone through great lengths to make sure that honeybees receive special attention."

Hopefully, Hollywood is listening because it sounds like a perfect plot for a "B" movie.

RELATED LINKS
More Local News
More Reports By Mary Robb Jackson

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.