Rian talks to Melvyn Dawson after the remarkable bee removal at King Shaka

Rian talks to Melvyn Dawson after the remarkable bee removal at King Shaka

Melvyn Dawson from A Bee C gave Rian a rundown of what exactly happened at King Shaka International Airport. 

bee keeper
Melvyn Dawson lured the bees with a palm frond./Unsplash

Passengers hoping to fly on Mango Airlines from King Shaka International Airport early on Wednesday, 26 September, found themselves delayed by something extraordinary: a swarm of bees that had built a nest inside the engine of one of the aircraft.

Rian was able to contact Melvyn Dawson, owner of A Bee C, the bee removal company that was called to the scene. He explained how he lured the bees away from the engine using a palm frond - possibly the most Durban thing to do ever. 

The bee removal was made more remarkable by the special aviation regulations that Melvyn and his team had to adhere to. They were not allowed to bring their own ladders or smokers near the aircraft, prompting them to come up with new ways to remove the bees. 

Mango spokesperson Sergio dos Santos said that he had not seen anything like this in the eight years that he has worked at the company. 

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