Are Super Swarms and Bee-Nados Real?

If you watched the latest episode of 9-1-1, the episode was based on millions of honeybees accidentally released during a jack-knife accident on the freeway in Los Angeles, wreaking havoc throughout the city and in the air. Although it was exciting to watch how the masses of bees were handled and the near misses of impending doom, the bees were eventually calmly sucked up by a local beekeeper with a vacuum. Although the concept of a super swarm of bees, or Bee-nado, may make good television, they are not factual.

Interesting and TRUE Bee Behaviors Depicted

Although the concept of a Bee-Nado was not real, it was clear that many of the ideas about how bees behave were true. One thing that helped get a troubled mother and her daughter from a car covered in bees was smoke, which beekeepers do use to calm bees.

Another true bee behavior depicted in the show was when the bees were swarming and stinging a woman, and she went underwater. In the intense scene, the bees swarmed about the water, and as she came up for air, the bees would sting her. This is also a known behavior of bees in attack mode, so it is never recommended to go into the water to get away from bees. In this episode, they used a hose to allow the woman to breathe underwater, but as it unraveled, the bees eventually found their way into the hose, making survival impossible.

In a blog a few weeks ago, we discussed the transportation of bees from coast to coast to help pollinate crops. The millions of bees traveling on the truck that crashed on the road in the show was accurate because that is how bees are most often transported. Hence, accidents and unexpected events are another factor to consider.

Beyond these few bee truths, the fictional Bee-Nado occurred only for entertainment. Hollywood likely hired some experienced beekeepers to consult on the set and maybe even help develop some of the show's concepts. Otherwise, the writers are beekeepers themselves!

Swarming Facts

Although the super swarm idea was false, swarming is fundamental and critical to bee survival. Learning more about what to expect in swarms can spread knowledge and remove some of the fear that shows like this may instill in people.

Swarms Are Necessary

Bees swarm when their hive is too crowded, which is why beekeepers add additional frames, or "supers," to the hive to give them more space. When a queen shows signs of ending her usefulness in the hive for laying eggs and sending potent pheromones, bees swarm and find another home.

Swarms Are Temporary

Swarms can be scary because they are in large numbers that can darken the sky as they pass over. However, the best thing to do is to allow bees to continue on their path to find a new home. Swarming may end up on a fence, playground equipment, a plane wing, or other location. It is critical to remember that most swarms move on in a few hours and, at most, take a day or two to move on completely. Their temporary location may be inconvenient to you, but if it doesn’t pose an immediate threat to people or pets, try to let the bees do their thing as they look for a new permanent home.

Swarms Are Not Typically Aggressive

Bees are most aggressive when they feel threatened, which is why most stings occur when the hive is under threat. This does not include when you're at the park and accidentally step on a bee, and it stings you, but bees rarely sting for no reason. Bees in swarms are not protecting a hive or their queen, which gives them no reason to sting unless provoked.