One afternoon in the quiet town of Haverfordwest in the UK, a woman named Carol Howarth drove into the city center to do a bit of shopping. She parked her car as usual, locked the doors, and thought nothing of it. Yet, when she returned later, she was stunned by the sight before her eyes—her vehicle had been completely overtaken by hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of very unexpected visitors.
To her disbelief, an enormous swarm of bees had settled on the back of her car, clinging to the rear in a thick, buzzing cluster. The unusual sight quickly drew the attention of passersby. Among them was Tom Moses, a local resident who happened to be driving through the area.
Tom later described the surreal scene with amazement: “It was like watching a performance. I pulled up and couldn’t believe my eyes. A crowd had already gathered around the car, and many people were busy taking photos.” Yet while others were fascinated, Tom felt a flicker of concern. The car was parked right outside a bar, and he worried that someone might act recklessly. “I was afraid someone might try something foolish, like pouring hot water on them. That could have ended very badly, both for the bees and for the people nearby,” he explained.
Realizing the potential danger, Tom decided to take action. He immediately reached for his phone and called people connected with a local beekeeping organization. Before long, experienced beekeepers arrived on the scene with proper equipment. Working carefully, they managed to collect the entire swarm and place the bees safely into a special box, ensuring that no one got hurt.
For Carol, it seemed the ordeal was over. But the story did not end there. She would only enjoy a brief sense of relief before facing the bees once again. Speaking later, Carol explained with some disbelief: “The very next day, I realized the bees had followed me home!” Once again, she had no choice but to contact the beekeepers for help.
This time, beekeeper Roger Burns examined the situation more closely. He suggested a possible explanation for the bees’ unusual behavior: “We believe the queen bee was attracted to something inside the car—probably something sweet. Somehow, she ended up getting caught within a part of the plastic on the vehicle. Naturally, the rest of the swarm, numbering more than 2,000 bees, simply followed her and gathered wherever she was.”
Eventually, the beekeepers succeeded in carefully freeing the queen bee from the car. Once she was released, she flew back to her colony, and the swarm quickly followed her, bringing the bizarre incident to an end.
According to the beekeepers, it is perfectly natural for bees to follow and protect their queen wherever she goes. However, they admitted that what made this case so remarkable was the persistence of the swarm. “It is normal for bees to follow their queen,” they said, “but it is certainly unusual that they kept after a car for two days in a row!”