Bee invasion at Indian Wells: the unexpected hero of the quarterfinals

Bee invasion at the Indian Wells tennis tournament: pollinators and tennis players are saved thanks to the providential intervention of a beekeeper. He is the hero of the moment

The quarterfinals of the Indian Wells BNL Paribas Open were disrupted by an unexpected and quite literal buzz. The match, featuring Carlos Alcaraz against Alexander Zverev, came to a sudden halt due to a bee invasion that made it impossible to continue the competition.

The match interruption

The California court was swarmed by bees, a situation that remained unclear until Alcaraz began swatting at the air, trying to fend off something. The bees were distracting him and not just him.

The referee, Mohamed Lahyani, thus announced the suspension of the game. The athletes had to wait nearly two hours for the arena to be cleared. Then, suddenly, one man changed everything.

Emerging from a sector was Lance Davis, a renowned beekeeper known as the Killer Bee Catcher. Davis was in nearby Palm Desert when he received the emergency call. He could not say no to such an important and urgent situation.

Sporting his black sunglasses and a kit for safely recovering bees, Davis successfully carried out one of his interventions, saving the precious pollinators… and the Indian Wells tournament.

The beekeeper was hailed as a hero, momentarily stealing the spotlight from the tennis professionals. But there’s more because Davis also took to the field, shaking hands with Alcaraz and his team.

As he left the stadium, the audience almost lined up to give him a high-five and snap a quick photo. The beekeeper became the star of the moment, recovering about 3,500 bees.

Davis explained that this is the time of year when bee swarming occurs, as the pollinators leave the hive to create a new colony following the old queen bee. Spectators and athletes, however, did not expect to find themselves in the middle of this phenomenon.

“I am very happy to have intervened in time so that there were no incidents,” Davis said.

No one will ever forget these quarterfinals and their hero… Lance Davis.

Source: ATP Tour