Michael Rush received an unexpected surprise when he arrived at his South Philadelphia home Wednesday. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 honey bees were on a tree right outside his house along the 1400 block of Montrose Street.
"I like nature so it's cool when the stuff comes into the city and you get to see it," Rush said.
Residents in the area took cover as the bees flew around cars and crawled on sidewalks. Rush's neighbor, Devin House, a certified beekeeper, believes the bees escaped from his roof deck hive.
"They're not actually wanting to bite anyone because they fill themselves with honey because they might have to travel several miles away," House said.
House climbed a ladder and tried to lure the bees into a box by using a lavender scented spray. The bees didn't take the bait however and beekeepers from Beelievers in Havertown, Pennsylvania were called to the scene.
“Oh my God, there’s a lot of them,” one beekeeper said as they worked to capture the insects.
The beekeepers called the swarm one of the largest they've ever seen. As they took the bees off the tree, some of the insects moved to Ashley Lynn's flower bed nearby, preventing her from entering her apartment.
"Once they're gone, away from the tree, then I'll go home," Lynn said.
Lynn was eventually able to get inside and the beekeepers took many of the bees to Havertown.
