Swarm of bees on jet wing delay flight from Miami airport

March 21 (UPI) -- A flight out of Miami International Airport in Florida was delayed after a swarm of bees was found on the wing of the plane.

The passenger flight destined for John F. Kennedy Airport in New York was delayed for several hours on Monday afternoon as the airport was forced to call a beekeeper to remove the insects.

"The bees were in the area where they load the cargo, putting the employees at risk," American Airlines spokeswoman Alexis Aran Coello told CBS News. "Because the bees were there, they couldn't load the bags. We had to take care of the situation."

Passenger Jonathan Gillinski said the beekeeper was stung several times while attempting to dispel the massive swarm.

"[There] must have been thousands of them," he said. "I've flown over 2 million miles and have experienced almost everything — so I thought!"

Coello said passengers were provided with snacks and drinks while the situation was being handled.

"Obviously, you don't want the bees in the air," she said. "We wanted to get the situation under control as soon as possible. You want to nip it in the bud as soon as you see it."