15,000 bees swarm car in grocery store parking lot

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An off-duty firefighter who is also a beekeeper helped save a man after a swarm of 15,000 bees decided to take over a car.

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A man had just put his groceries in his car and was about to drive away from an Albertson’s supermarket in Las Cruces, New Mexico, when he saw the swarm in the back of his car, The Associated Press reported.

Firefighters responded, but they realized they knew the perfect person for the job. Jesse Johnson, a firefighter who was off duty, was called to the scene and brought along his beekeeping attire and the tools needed to safely remove the swarm.

Police said he used a hive kit and lemongrass oil too.

Johnson cleared the man’s car of the thousands of bees in about two hours, transporting them to his hives, the AP reported.

A store security guard was stung, but no one else was hurt.

Police said the fire department usually doesn’t respond to a bee swarm but because of the location and traffic in the area, they decided it was better to have the swarm removed.

Cox Media Group