A warning has been issued after thousands of bees swarmed outside a Birmingham city centre restaurant, forcing people to keep their distance.
The large swarm descended on the outdoor seating area of Las Iguanas at around 2pm today, July 2, with stunned onlookers stopping to watch the unusual scene unfold.
Footage showed thousands of bees clustered around one of the restaurant’s outdoor tables.
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The insects had completely engulfed a table and the surrounding chairs while restaurant staff inside stared from a window.
One onlooker was overheard saying they “couldn’t believe” what they were seeing as the swarm remained concentrated around the outdoor seating area.
Security staff at Brindleyplace warned people in the area to keep their distance.
Members of the public gathered to film the spectacle.
Bee swarms are a natural phenomenon and most commonly occur when a colony looks to establish a new home.
During this process, thousands of bees can temporarily gather in one location before moving on.
Tenants working in nearby office buildings were being warned to take extra care when leaving their workplaces while the situation was dealt with, BirminghamLive understands.
The incident attracted significant attention in Brindleyplace.
Several people could be seen watching from a safe distance, with many expressing surprise at the sheer number of bees.
Brindleyplace’s resident beekeeper, John Beavan, said later in the afternoon: “The swarm of bees seen at Brindleyplace have since moved into a tree at high-level.
“The swarm could have come from anywhere in a two to three mile radius of the estate, probably from a nearby park, a back garden or even just an individual tree.
“This is a natural part of the lifecycle of bees which will often choose to move on when their Queen can no longer provide for them all.
“If the bees are proving a nuisance to the public they can be relocated, but it’s usually best to let them move on by themselves if possible.”