PHOENIX — As Blake Deinas came out from lunch in downtown Gilbert and back to his truck, he noticed something wasn't normal.
"They were just sitting like right up in this area right here," Deinas said, pointing at the driver's side front wheel well on his white pickup. "They kind of like went down a little bit and more into the back."
"They" being a swarm of bees that had picked his wheel well to stop in while he was at lunch.
"I'm like trying to figure out what the heck I'm gonna do because I got to drive the truck," Deinas said.
Deinas said he did end up driving home and even took the freeway for a few exits, hoping that would move the bees along.
"Well, I get home and they're all still there," Deinas said.
A professional bee removal company came out the next day to remove the swarm from Deinas' truck.
"I asked him how many he thought were there, and I don't know if it was a joke or if he was serious but he said like 4,000," Deinas said.
Kevin Hodgson with The Beehive Bee and Wasp Removal said swarms are everywhere right now, as spring is bee season.
Noting this year is specifically catering to bees.
"There’s been so much rain it’s just made a lot of plants and bushes and trees produce a lot of pollen and a lot of nectar and so this year’s particularly bad for allergies; it’s really good for bees," Hodgson said.
In his own backyard, Hodgson has bees that have been rescued, and pointed out two with pollen on their legs.
Hodgson said once bees build up in the spring, they start to swarm.
"Half of the bees take off with the queen and they'll make a new hive somewhere else," Hodgson said.
Those swarms, Hodgson said are usually fairly docile, noting only people with some know-how should attempt to touch them.
But said the best bet is to call a professional to get them relocated as established hives can become trouble and said that's when people can get stung.
"You don't want to touch them; you don't want to spray them because they'll get dispersed everywhere," Hodgson said. "Just call a professional."
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