Bees swarm Taradale Thirsty Liquor store: ‘It’s pretty quiet at the moment’

A liquor store sting of a different kind has unfolded in Taradale, disrupting the Friday afternoon drinks rush.

A swarm of bees picked a tree on Gloucester St, across the road from Thirsty Liquor about 1pm.

Photographer J Hira capturing the sight of the hundreds of bees as the flew around, with the frame he took conveniently turning the ‘beer and wine’ sign on the storefront into a “BEE WIN” sign.

A worker at the store said although the bees were somewhat “confronting and menacing” to walk out to, no one had been stung and the store remained open to the public.

But the front doors had been closed for obvious reasons.

“It’s pretty quiet at the moment,” laughed the worker, who asked to be anonymous.

A swarm of bees by Thirsty Liquor, Gloucester St, Taradale. Photo / J Hira

The worker said a similar swarm had buzzed the area two weeks ago and at 1.30pm they were waiting for council pest control staff to arrive.

A Napier City Council spokeswoman said the council had contacted a local beekeeper from a list they kept on file, who was going out to collect the swarm.