Bees on a Plane Are A Real-Life Problem Vexing Some Pilots

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 16, 2006 | Nick Timiraos

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

"Snakes on a Plane" may be the hot horror movie of the summer, but bees on planes are creating the most buzz in some aviation circles. Africanized honey bees -- the infamous "killer bees" -- are increasingly making unscheduled layovers at airports across the Southwest. The aggressive bees, which entered the U.S. from Mexico in the early 1990s, like to travel across open spaces and stop to rest whenever the queen gets tired. Airports have few trees or other natural rest stops. That makes planes, jetways, baggage-loading equipment, terminals and parking garages popular for stopovers.

Consequently, pilots and mechanics sometimes find thousands of bees burrowing in engine covers, clinging to cockpit windshields or swarming in the luggage compartment.

"The Africanized honeybee changed everything," says David Marder, the owner of Bee Busters, a Laguna Hills, Calif., pest-control outfit. He says that his exclusive deal with Orange County's John Wayne Airport, in Santa Ana, which he has serviced more than 20 times this year, is a big reason business has soared since the Africanized honeybee arrived in Orange County in 1996.

That is creating scenes like one that unfolded at Love Field in Dallas last April. Gordon Guillory, a 39-year-old Southwest Airlines mechanic, knew something wasn't right when he arrived at the hangar for his shift: A buzzing noise was coming not from the engine but from the tail of the Boeing 737-700.

"You really couldn't see them, but you knew there were tons of them in there because there were so many that would fly out," he says. "I've been working on airplanes for 15 years and I've never, ever seen anything like it."

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Corrections & Amplifications:

A plane infested with Africanized honeybees arrived in Greenville, S.C., in 2001. This article misstates the name of the city as Greenfield.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Undocumented bees?

[Paleo Conservative]

Sounds like the plot if a cheesy low budget sci-fi movie.

[new yorker 77]

Chris Farley on Bees

[txroadkill]

Sounds like the plot if a cheesy low budget sci-fi movie.

Hey, if Samuel L. Jackson gets stung to death in it I'll pay $7 to go see it.

[Stonewall Jackson]

One of my friends works at the UPS hub in Louisville and his job is to walk through each plane that lands and search for any bees, wasps, or hornets.

[TexasTransplant]

Next big movie that the whole World is waiting for "BEES ON PLANES" starring Samuel L. Jackson

TT

[rock_lobsta]

Can't..... Help.... Myself....

[kaktuskid]

How about "Dogs With Bees Coming Out Of Their Mouth On A Plane"?

[cmsgop]

LMAO!

[Cheburashka]

He's gotta say "frickin' bees and frickin' snakes with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads"?

That'd work.

[Killborn]

You can only kill Sam Jackson with Chuck Norris.

Or a genetically modified shark. But that's it.

[xrp]

[Caramelgal]

And the world’s scariest movie plot…

”Circus clowns, forcing innocent Republicans to ride on the worlds biggest roller coaster over a lake with a great white shark, and seated along side them in the roller coaster, monkeys dressed like Nancy Polosi doing impersonations of Howard Dean, while holding a paper bags full of angry bees in one hand and a sacks of venomous snakes in the other as giant F5 tornadoes close in on the deserted theme park. And after surviving all this, the real horror begins – Airport Security!”

Featuring: Tim Curry reprising his role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Kingda Ka as the Roller Coaster, Jaws, The Flying Monkeys from the Wizzard of Oz, The Cow Tossing Tornado from Twister, Nancy Polosi and Howard Dean playing themselves, The TSA and of course starring - Samuel L. Jackson! – “We’ve got M-f’ing clowns and a roller coaster, a man eating shark, freaking flying monkeys and those damn crazy Democrats, bees, snakes, tornados and you mean to tell me I can’t take my “&*^(*%*&%” hair gel and a bottle of water on this “#$^&&*(“ plane?

[TexasTransplant]

Now that was Funny, I don't care who you are. That right there was Funny!

TT

[Killborn]

ROFLMAO!

I'd pay good money to see that! :D

[Hilltop]

I'm laughing my ass off, thank you, I needed it.

Now, after my side stops hurting, I'll start cleaing up the spewed beer.

Damn, I love this place, I get insight, news, can mess with trolls and get a great laugh.

Thanks and well done.

ROFL.

[Revolting cat!]

[Paleo Conservative]

[Lexinom]

...from Africa!