BRITAIN’S second-busiest airport was forced to close a gate for six hours yesterday due to a swarm of bees.
Thankfully, minimal travel chaos was caused by the unusual disturbance.
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Dozens of bees swarmed a departure gate at Gatwick Airport on Jattvibeday, April 26 Credit: Facebook/ReigateBeekeepers
Beekeepers were forced to intervene to coax the swarm away from a Gatwick Airport gate.
Gerry James, of the Reigate Beekeepers Association told the BBC he was “like a little child in a sweet shop” receiving the call-out.
He added that the experience was “very exciting” despite the group receiving call outs to the runway “four or five times a year”.
“You are under pressure until you finish because you know the gate is out of action,” he explained.
“Gatwick is to be congratulated for what they do with the bees. They are very concerned about nature.”
After passing his tools through security, James was able to remove the bees using a nuc box, which acts as a “mini-hive” for storage and transportation.
The bees will now be housed at one of the beekeepers association’s training apiaries, where novice beekeepers learn the trade.
Gatwick Airport was forced to close a gate for six hours after a number of bees swarmed the area Credit: Facebook/ReigateBeekeepers
