TURN IT DOWN! Bees attack temple over loud music

Most people get annoyed when their neighbours blast loud music but have you ever become so angry that you wanted to stab them with your butt? No? Then you mustn’t be a bee! A swarm of bees did just that at a temple in the Nakhon Ratchasima province.

A temple in Phimai District was holding an ordination ceremony on Friday with traditional music playing just a tad too loud. The noise caused a frenzy in a hive in front of the temple and a swarm of agitated bees attacked the crowd resulting in dozens of stings and several injuries.

The ceremony was interrupted by the wild bees stinging everyone and causing pandemonium. The person who was becoming a monk at the ceremony had not yet entered the temple when the attack occurred.

A local rescue team was called to aid after the bee attack, as many people were reportedly injured. People of all ages, from children to the elderly, were stung during the ceremony,

At least 10 people at the temple had been on the business end of over 100 bee stingers total, with many victims having upwards of 10 stings.

One 72 year old man was covered in 45 bee stings and had to be transported to the hospital for treatment.

THE SCIENCE

So, why the brutal attack? It wasn’t that the bees just have different tastes in music from the people in the temple. More likely the sound vibrations were loud enough to shake their nest. The bees would take the shaking as a threat to their home and come out in force to defend the hive.

Bees are generally not aggressive and usually only sting when they feel threatened. But, things can escalate quickly since they release a pheromone that signals other bees to attack. So once a bee attacks you, it signals other bees to do the same. This explains why many of the people attending the temple ceremony received multiple bee stings.

THE SUPERSTITION

That said, some people in attendance at the temple may not fully recognise the swarm attack as an instinctual of bees. Many people may view a bee attack as a bad omen or a message of bad luck.

It was not confirmed by local media whether the ceremony continued after the bee attack. The swarm likely left the unfortunate person being ordained as a monk shaken, as the entire crowd at the temple was flustered and even injured by the angry bees.

So, maybe next time turn the volume down a bit.