The key facts

  • A swarm of bees covered a street counter with sweets in Fatehabad, Haryana
  • Smoke from smoldering charcoal did not help drive the insects away quickly
  • The owner estimated his losses at about $2000

A swarm covered the sweets counter

In the Indian city of Fatehabad, thousands of bees virtually halted trade at a confectionery shop, NDTV reports. The owner decided to boost sales and set up an extra counter right on the street, laying out traditional Indian sweets, many of which are soaked in sugar syrup. It was apparently these treats that attracted the insects.

The bees could not be driven away

A huge swarm descended on the shop: the insects covered the trays of desserts, while the rest circled around the stall. Footage that spread on social media shows that almost no free space was left on some of the sweets. Workers tried to drive the bees away, even resorting to smoke from smoldering charcoal, but they failed to get rid of the uninvited guests quickly. Customers preferred to stay away from the shop, and trade was disrupted. According to the owner, the invasion cost him about $2000.

Context

This is not the only recent bee-related news from Indian media: earlier, as Gazeta.Ru reported citing a scientific publication, scientists found an unexpected way to use bees to fight pollution. The details of that study are not disclosed in the report, and it is unrelated to the incident in Fatehabad.