There was a buzz around the Ramada hotel June 10 at around 1 p.m. as thousands of bees swarmed outside on George Street.
“So, there was thousands – looked like millions – of bees, just all swarming in the area out here and they just kept flying back and forth,” said Kevin Eastman, the hotel’s front desk manager. “There was so many you could barely see through them.”
The hotel called the city, which initially said they couldn’t do anything, then phoned back saying they were getting hold of a beekeeper. The RCMP then showed up around an hour and a half later and told the Ramada to take precautions for those concerned about stings. The hotel allowed people to exit through their side doors.
Eastman said the swarm didn’t have an effect on business, as people came into the Starbucks to get away from the bees and take photos of them.
UPDATE – 8:22 p.m. June 10
Initial reports indicated the bees came from a nest on a tree at the corner of George and Fifth Avenue. However, the city of Prince George's Twitter account confirmed the swarm came from two hives located on the roof of City Hall.
"#CityofPG did a thorough risk assessment and found that there was a low risk associated with keeping bees," the city tweeted.
The account reported the swarm would return to the hives after dark and that the hives would be removed from city hall.
