The MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants was delayed for nearly 18 minutes on Sunday after a swarm of bees infested the infield at the Great American Ball Park.
Players of the Reds started running onto the field for the first innings when they were told by umpires to remain near the dugout. The reason for that stoppage was that there was a swarm of bees near the home plate.
Umpires started to consult with the ground crew as well as the vice president of baseball operations at GABP named Tim O’Connell, as they all waited for the bee to leave the field.
Soon the bees started to move above the field and to the upper stands. Fans started to retreat from there to the top of the upper deck as well as the top rows of the lower concourse.
This is not the first delay between two teams due to such an incident. Back on April 17th, 1976, during a game between Reds and Giants at the Riverfront Stadium located in Cincinnati, one such bee delay for 35 minutes also occurred.
A game between teams Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angeles was delayed back in April at the Angel Stadium.
According to the beekeeper Matt Birkley, the bees are in the process of swarming. He said, “There is a hive somewhere in the ballpark. The hive could be located inside a hollow pipe or a wall of some kind or any other space like such. They are swarming due to the hive getting crowded. The hive will create a new queen and the old queen will be leaving the hive with about half of the worker bees. They all leave at one time. This is why we are seeing this swarm. The queen bee is going to land at some point and worker bees will gather around her in the form of a ball to protect her. Scouting bees will look for another replace to nest. Once they find a new home, they will leave on their own. My advice is to let them disperse on their own.”
Related Content
