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.
Dozens of bees swarmed a departure gate at Gatwick Airport on Sunday, April 26 Credit: Facebook/ReigateBeekeepers
Beekeepers were forced to intervene to coax the swarm away from a Gatwick Airport gate.
Speaking to the BBC , Gerry James, of the Reigate Beekeepers Association, revealed the group gets called out to the airport “four or five times a year” for similar cases.
He described the calls to the runway as leaving him feeling “like a little child in a sweet shop”.
The beekeeper went on to “It’s very exciting,” he adds.
James said: “You are under pressure until you finish because you know the gate is out of action.
“Gatwick is to be congratulated for what they do with the bees. They are very concerned about nature.”
James said that, after needing to pass his tools through security, he was able to remove the bees using a nuc box, which acts as a “mini-hive” for storage and transportation.
The bees – which he said closed the gate for six hours – 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
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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