The site of an English Heritage castle in Cornwall has been forced to shut after large swarms of bees were spotted in and around the area.
A post on the organisation’s website says that Restormel Castle, near Lostwithiel, had to close yesterday after the area saw a “very high level of bee activity”.
The “terrifying yet amazing” swarms were also seen in nearby Truro and Fowey, with locals reporting “a massive buzzing sound”.
Faye Wilton is a local community carer who recorded the bees on video while leaving a patient’s house. She told The Packet that she “came out of a client’s house to hear a massive buzzing sound, like a plane”.
“It scared the living hell out of me! It was coming over my head. I looked up and they were all swarming over me. I ran to my car to which is where I then filmed them.
“I haven’t got a clue where they’ve come from”, she added.
Restormel Castle remains shut today, with a notice on its website reading that it is “closed due to unforeseen circumstances”. It is unknown how long it will stay closed for.
In the meantime, other locals took to social media to discuss the issue, with one saying that the swarm “flew right above us”.
“It was terrifying and amazing at the same time”, they said. Others claimed to have seen the bees flying over their gardens and even in their chimneys.
In a comment to The Independent an English Heritage spokesperson said: “Due to the presence of a large number of bees on our site, we have temporarily closed Restormel Castle to visitors today.
“Please check our website for updates before travelling to Restormel Castle this week”.
This isn’t the only time bees have caused chaos recently, with a Delta Airlines flight from Houston delayed due to a swarm on the plane wing earlier this month.
A passenger onboard, Anjali Enjeti, shared the story on Twitter, live-tweeting the incident that forced all passengers to disembark the aircraft.
Ms Enjeti later shared that the bees left “as soon as our plane’s engine turned on”, with the flight eventually landing in Atlanta two hours late.
