15,000 Bees Swarm Senate Entrance In Capitol Hill Building

Capitol Hill police arrived, one officer with a large assault rifle, to help fight a swarm of about 15,000 honeybees on Friday afternoon. Nevertheless, it was a group of volunteer beekeepers that saved the day this time in Washington, D.C. Rep. John Conyers chief of staff even got an exciting role in the action.

According to CNN, the bees swarmed the main Senate entrance in the U.S. Capitol Building before descending on a nearby tree. The scene was frightening for onlookers, but help arrived soon.

U.S. Capitol Hill Police officers blocked off the tree using yellow tape. Then it was time to bring in the experts, three volunteer beekeepers. The police watched as they did the dangerous work.

Rachel Perry of Capitol Bee Care, an organization that works to protect honey bee colonies, explained that the bee swarm was looking for a new nest in a larger location. The insects were honey bees, which don’t attack unless provoked. The beekeepers explained the bees fill up with honey before journeying out to find a new home, making them unlikely to sting. That made things easier for the swarm tamers.

Perry, with just a scarf wrapped around her head, sat patiently beneath the tree and slowly lured the honeybee swarm into a cardboard box. Once they captured the queen, her thousands of followers came along for the ride.

The Daily Mail reports Rep. John Conyers’ chief of staff, Cynthia Martin, a part-time bee hobbyist, got to participate in the capture. She hugged the other two beekeepers before loading the swarm into her car.

“Thank you so much for your help. My first swarm that I actually captured!”

She added, “the only thing that is scary is when you’re driving and a bee gets loose,” before pulling away.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, another beekeeper didn’t mind if a bee or the whole colony got loose. The highway patrol got a call about a car swerving strangely on the road. When they pulled over the suspect, they found his car was swarming with free-flying bees. Although it seemed dangerous, the police had to the let the driver go since there was nothing illegal about the method of transportation.

As for the Capitol Hill bee swarm, no lawmakers were in danger since their last vote was on Thursday. There are reportedly still a few hundred bees left in the tree, but the beekeepers say they’ll return to the hive once it’s been re-established in Martin’s backyard.

[Image Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images]