Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Bees unleash terror at TNAU

K.V. Prasad

SOUR REMNANT: Fire and Rescue Services personnel looking at the hive meddled with at TNAU in the city on Sunday. - Photo: M. Periasamy

COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here was a beehive of activity on Sunday. Well, literally!

At a tea break during a seminar on the benefits of coconut, the delegates, faculty of the University and mediapersons were `stung' by a surprise - a painful one at that.

Chaos on premises

A beehive located on the first floor of a block that housed an auditorium was disturbed, triggering chaos on the premises.

Someone who wanted honey had stirred a hornets' nest. A stick with some honey at its tip was said have been found at the spot.

Swarms of bees targeted the delegates who took a stroll outside the meeting venue on the ground floor.

The attack had begun even before the break - a few persons were already stung and left for treatment to private clinics.

Cordoned off

Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area close to the hive. But the attack intensified during the break as the bees returned with a vengeance and chased people back into the auditorium.

Some bees managed to sneak into the hall when people opened the doors to rush in.

The bees swarmed around a photographer of this newspaper, stung him in the forehead and chased him almost up to the gates.

Those who walked about 80 feet to the tea and snacks enclosure were hounded over the entire distance back to the hall.

Fire Services personnel then cordoned off that area as well. Vehicles parked beyond the hive could not be reached.

It took a while for the bees to stop venting their ire on the people.

Fire Services personnel did not want to remove the hive when people were around. They left after the University staff offered to have it removed.

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