About 10,000 bees and the queen lived in the helicopter/PennLive
California Highway Patrol pilot Shane Dixon and his colleague encountered an unexpected obstacle. They discover that their helicopter has become a temporary shelter for thousands of bees.
Instead of the usual rescue and search tasks, the duo had to face this unexpected challenge. This is reported by the PennLive publication.
We may need to fly out urgently for a call, and the presence of bees on the plane does not help the work. Besides, I'd never been stung before, and I wasn't going to find out if I was allergic to a bee sting while on a flight. We didn't want to tempt fate,
– said Dixon, recalling the March 7 incident with a laugh.
With the help of local insect removal expert Susie Hulsmann, the team was able to vacuum up nearly 1.4 kilograms of insects. She estimated that the helicopter had more than 10,000 bees and a queen bee on board.
“The bees were completely compliant. They were looking for a new home, and the helicopter was a temporary place.” – said Halsmann, who owns and operates her company, Suzi and the Queen Team, and keeps the bees herself.
After the bees were successfully removed, they were moved to an empty hive in Atascadero, where they quickly adapted and began to feel like at home.
This unexpected incident was a challenge for the pilots, but thanks to the professionalism and help of an expert, they were able to cope with the situation and continue to perform their duties.