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Thousands of Bees Swarm Downtown Street

5 are sent to a hospital in Pasadena, Calif.
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2020 2:00 PM CST
Thousands of Bees Swarm Downtown Street
Stock image of bees.   (Getty Images)

Nothing like the sight of up to 40,000 bees headed your way—and that's exactly what people experienced Thursday afternoon in Pasadena, Calif. Officials say the swarm emerged from an area between the roof and the eaves of a Howard Johnson hotel and shocked pedestrians near Pasadena City College, the LA Times reports. At least six people were wounded, including a firefighter who suffered more than 15 bee stings. Five were taken to hospital and one civilian declined to go.

Meanwhile, officials closed Colorado Boulevard near the college and told people to stay indoors. Aerial footage showed an apiarist working with firefighters, reaching the bees' nest with a ladder before spraying foam and carbon dioxide. "We don't like to kill bees, we're beekeepers," Dave Williams of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association tells KTLA. "But in a situation like this, where the public safety is of concern, we have to take care of the public." Exactly what triggered the swarm still isn't clear: "Something set them off, some activity, noise, vibration ... it's hard to tell what," says Williams. (More bees stories.)

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