Watch: Bee swarm settles on car with person asleep inside

A large swarm of bees has caused a stir in a Birkenhead carpark after settling on a parked vehicle with a person asleep inside.

Hairdresser Shannon Grange told the Herald she spotted the swarm about midday while looking out a window at Highbury Birkenhead.

“I looked out the window and saw a huge swarm of bees right outside the carpark,” said Grange, who works at Arvika Hairdressers.

“They started jumping from boot to boot on all of the cars along the row, and they’ve just landed on this pink car and they’re staying there for a while,” she said.

The unusual scene drew the attention of onlookers, many of whom stopped to take photographs despite warnings to keep their distance, Grange said.

“I’m in the carpark telling everyone to roll the windows up, and people keep rolling the windows down to take photos,” Grange said.

The situation became even more surreal when it became apparent a person was asleep inside the vehicle being swarmed by the bees.

“There was someone in the car, having a nap,” Grange said. She later said the person woke up and went shopping, while the swarm remained clustered on the vehicle.

A large swarm of bees caused a stir in a Birkenhead carpark after settling on a parked vehicle. Photo / Shannon Grange

To keep the bees and surrounding people safe, Grange and others have placed cones around the car.

Despite the dramatic appearance of the swarm, Grange said the bees appeared calm and were not aggressive.

“No one’s been stung that I know of,” she said.

Some bees had been squashed by passing vehicles but otherwise things were relaxed. Grange said a passerby called Auckland Council to organise a beekeeper to collect the bees.

The Birkenhead swarm is the latest bee sighting after bees descended on Queen St in September, temporarily closing part of the pedestrian area while beekeepers worked to remove and relocate the insects.

At the time, Auckland Beekeepers Club swarm co-ordinator Bryan Lang told the Herald that spring, from September to December, is the peak swarming season in Auckland.

“An existing hive gets too full and there’s no room for the queen to lay,” Lang said.

The queen then leaves with a large portion of the colony to search for a new home, while a new queen takes over the original hive.

Despite their intimidating appearance, swarms are generally not dangerous because the bees are focused on relocation rather than defending a hive, Lang said.

“They’re just solely concerned with finding that new home.

“The only way they would sting you is if you put your hand on one or stood on one.”

Lang said bee collectors typically relocate swarms by placing the queen in a box, with the rest of the colony following her.

Grange said she had never seen anything like it.

“It’s bizarre,” she said. “It’s out of a TV show, really.”