Traffic on a busy expressway in China came to a halt for more than two hours after a swarm of bees invaded a toll station.
The insects started swirling around cars waiting at the checkpoint after a lorry transporting several hives got involved in an accident.
The truck reportedly overturned on the expressway near Fuxin in Liaoning Province, northeastern China.
The pollinators quickly surrounded the nearby toll station and began flocking to the passing cars.
Short clips filmed by some of the affected motorists quickly emerged on Chinese social media sites – and netizens were amazed.
User ‘Aw’ joked: “Open the window for ten seconds.”
‘Fence’ suggested: “Wait two hours and the cars can drink fresh honey!”
User ‘I am little sun’ just said: “Can’t see – intensive phobia.”
Traffic came to a halt for more than two hours as the bees blocked the motorists’ view, according to a witness quoted by Chinese media.
News websites say police officers eventually managed to remove the honeybees from the cars.
There has been no information on whether the truck driver or other individuals has been harmed in the accident and if the bees returned to their hives.
Apart from being triggered by an accident such as in this case, swarming is “a natural process”, according to the British Beekeepers Association.
Speaking about how to react as a witness, Iowa State University entomologist Prof Donald Lewis recommended: “Stay back and keep others away from the swarm, but feel free to admire and appreciate the bees from a safe distance.”
China is the global apiculture market leader, according to figures provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
In 2021, the Asian country’s beekeepers produced 486,000 tonnes of honey, up from 458,000 tonnes in the previous year.
Chinese honey farm managers have been criticised for allegedly adding substantial amounts of syrup to their products which are exported to countries all around the world.
