Delta flight is quite sensitive and very considerate toward bees, it seems. A swarm of bees congregated on the tip of the wing of a Delta flight leaving Houston for Atlanta, US, delaying the flight for many hours.
If you're wondering how the bees got on the tip of the wing: Apparently, when the plane pulled into the gate; the swarm of bees got onto the tip of the wing.
From trying to find a solution that included calling a beekeeper to the rescue, to thinking about pest control (but ouch, don't want to kill those bees and pest control is not allowed to spray on planes), and the airport not having a water hose - and having all these alternatives rejected... it does make one think:
What does one have to do to get these bees off the plane's wing? Anjali Enjeti answers this subsequently.
(but before you get to the answer, it's best to start munching and eat some snacks while you wait)
Final update: The passengers were moved to another gate and they were finally able to leave Houston.
So, now, the answer to the big question: HOW DID THE BEES LEAVE?
Turns out the pilot just had to turn the engine on! Enjeti wrote on Twitter that the moment the airplane engines were switched on, the bees left!
As the "bee" passengers were assigned a different gate, they flew out of Houston and reached their destinaton Atlanta (phew!). I bet it was one hell of a wait to get back home.
Goes without saying, the Twitter thread got a lot of reactions. Take a look:
This was such a unique situation, do you think ground staff or flight operators are trained to handle such circumstances?