In central Tokyo on the afternoon of May 10…

S/ Reporter: Ah, a swarm of something is flying around over there!

A mass of something is wriggling in a corner blocked off by traffic cones

The bridge railing and the glass section are partially covered.

They appear to be bees…

.

People working nearby the massive swarm of bees said….

S/ Passerby: It’s surprising, right? It’s a place where you wouldn’t expect bees to appear at all. I was surprised!

S/ Local: I just thought it was scary.

S/ Local: I thought, really? In the middle of Tokyo?

According to an expert, the swarm consisted of lost Western honeybees.

Even by the evening, the bees are still there.

S/ Reporter: More than three hours have passed since I arrived at the scene, but the number of bees has not changed much.

They were almost motionless and staying in place.

Why did such a large swarm of western honeybees appear in the middle of Tokyo?

According to an expert…

S/ Takahashi Junichi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Kyoto Sangyo University: It is called a swarming colony, and in the spring, they move to find a new place to build a hive. Western honeybees in Japan also swarm around the time of Golden Week.

This is a behavior called swarming, where the main colony has grown too big, so a splinter colony forms. With the Queen, they can travel up to 10 kilometers in the search for a new home. It is thought that this colony appeared in here during their move.

S/ Takahashi Junichi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Kyoto Sangyo University: They won’t come to sting, so don’t panic. Don’t make a fuss, don’t approach them, and contact your local government office. In a few hours, they will find a new hive, and everyone will move and disappear.