A bee invasion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California interrupted one of the most anticipated tennis matches of the year. Unfortunately, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were swarmed by an overwhelming number of bees in the third game of the match.
© GettyImagesDuring the match, bees were flying around, and one stung Alcaraz on his forehead. This made him uncomfortable, and he started swatting them away, causing chaos in the court. The players, ball kids, and some fans began running toward the exits to avoid getting stung.
© GettyImagesMatch Suspended
An umpire announced that the match was suspended due to a “bee invasion,” but the crowd remained in their seats as they weren’t asked to leave the stadium. After waiting for almost an hour, a beekeeper arrived to relocate the spider cam carrying the swarm of bees to a specific area within the premises. The beekeeper also began sucking the bees off the camera with a special vacuum machine.
© GettyImagesThe tournament organizers released a statement addressing the funny but dangerous situation. “Davis has worked with the tournament for approximately seven years. He works with the tournament on a year-round basis, as needed, and has been out a few times to this year’s event to help with other beekeeping needs around the grounds,” they informed, referring to Lance Davis from Killer Bee Live Removal in Palm Desert.
“He used a vacuum that filters the bees into a live catch cage, a natural and humane way to remove them from the site. This area, at this time of the year, can be a hotspot for bees, with all the flowers blooming and blossoming. In addition, the bees can be attracted to low-frequency sound waves, and music bass, as they feel the vibrations and are attracted to those locations. The tournament is very thankful for his quick response to the situation, and on-going assistance to the BNP Paribas Open.”
