Postwoman chased by 2,000 bees that escaped from parcel

A postwoman was chased by a swarm of bees that escaped from a parcel she was delivering. Carar Tyer was on rounds in Yeovil, Somerset, when she opened her van door and became engulfed in thousands of the insects.

"I saw this box... and all of a sudden I saw bees around me everywhere and I screamed and ran," she said. A beekeeper was called in to collect the swarm and the 2,000 live bees were delivered to the parcel's recipient.



Bees, according to Parcelforce, are on a "shorlist" of living creatures - including leeches, maggots and earthworms - that can be posted. However, a spokesman for the company said they "must be enclosed in packs constructed so as to prevent injury" to their staff.

Ms Tyer said she was not stung by any of the bees in the parcel but the experience had made her more cautious. "If I get one bee in my van it's a bit scary and I open up all the windows to get it out. So to have that many - it wasn't a good experience," she said. "So I do look a bit more, when I'm half asleep at 6 o'clock in the morning, to see what I'm carrying now."