A swarm of honeybees clustered around a staircase railing outside United Airlines gate B7 at O'Hare International Airport. As a precaution, United shut down gates B6, B7 and B8 and called in John Hansen, an experienced beekeeper who oversees the 75 beehives at the O’Hare apiary.
O'Hare Airport became the first U.S. airport to open an apiary on the premises in 2011.
Hansen indicated he wasn't sure if the bees came from one of the beehives at the airport. He notes they were following their queen and looking for a place to establish a new colony. He used a bee vacuum to remove them, which sucks up the bees without injuring them.
