SANDUSKY, Ohio–Usually crowds gather inside the Sandusky mall, but on Thursday, the parking lot was all the buzz.
“Around 1:30, we got a call about a vehicle with a swarm of bees on it,” said
Chief Rich Andres, Jr., security supervisor of the Sandusky Mall. “A whole bunch of bees on the back of a minivan in a big swarm. At that point, we were a little worried.”
Brittani Espinosa was at work when she noticed the unusual sight.
“People were staying inside the doors, not wanting to come out,” she said. “There was a fear of allergies and people getting stung. It was kind of scary. I was wondering when it was going to end.”
Police and fire officials were called to the scene, but it was Norwalk beekeeper John Schick who managed the swarm.
“There were about two-and-a-half pounds of bees,” he said,” translates into probably 5,000 bees maybe in the swarm.”
The swarm was so big, Schick had to vacuum the bees. However, he ran into a few complications.
“People are always curious, and that’s a potential problem,” he said. “All during that time, there were bees coming back into the car. So even after i got them all sucked up, 5 to 10 minutes later, there’d be another group of bees back there.”
And no–the bees were not swinging by the mall for a shopping deal.
Schick said the bees were likely migrating and made a pit stop on the van to rest. Now, the bees will reside in a hive at his farm in Norwalk farm.
“I’d ensue panic. I’d tell people there are killer bees on the loose,” said Jessica James of Sandusky. “It’s good that they have a home here. I hope Sandusky is a very bee-friendly town, a very bee-friendly town.”