15,000 Bees Sneak Into Parked Car Without Owner Noticing, Off-Duty Fireman Relocates Them

An off-duty firefighter in New Mexico sucessfully helped the local fire department in dealing with a swarm of bees that snuck into a person's car Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The Las Cruces Fire Department at around 4 p.m. dispatched firefighters to the scene after they received a report that bees had taken residence in the backseat of a car parked right outside Albertsons grocery store on El Paseo Road.

"Firefighters learned the owner of the car returned from shopping, placed groceries in his vehicle and started to drive off before noticing the swarm in the backseat," the department's Facebook post said. The department noted that one of the car's backseat windows had been left open while the owner was away shopping.

The fire department then decided the best course of action would be to remove the swarm and safely relocate it to somewhere else.

The immediate area was then cordoned off to ensure the safety of nearby shoppers. The department then called in off-duty firefighter Jesse Johnson, who is a beekeper in his spare time, to deal with the situation.

Johnson arrived on the scene with a hive kit, lemongrass oil, gloves and proper attire. He then successfully removed an estimated 15,000 bees from the car and relocated them safely to his property located outside the city limits.

Firefighters were on the scene for two hours while the bees were removed and relocated.

A security guard at Albertson's was stung and the department noted that several others might have been too close to the passenger wannabees, but pointed out that no major injuries were reported.

The department said it did not regularly remove bee swarms but had taken action to mitigate the dangers the swarm posed to people in what was described as a "relatively high-traffic area."

One Facebook commenter praised the firefighters, describing their rapid and decisive response as being "bee-utiful."