BANGOR, Pa. – A woman was dragging a lounge chair into the shade of a tree when a sudden buzzing told her it was already occupied _ by thousands of bees. “They were swarming like crazy and I ran into the house,” Sheila Sabatine said.

Though the bees hummed busily about, Sabatine was not stung, nor was her husband, Larry Sabatine, who also inspected the football-sized swarm before the two called Bethlehem beekeeper Joe Kuka.

Kuka said swarming bees generally are not aggressive, though he added, “I’m sure if she would have sat down in that chaise lounge she would have got up in a hurry.”

Kuka said there were about 10,000 bees in the 3-pound swarm under the chair. He said he was glad the Sabatines did not spray the bees, since colonies are already being diminished by disease. Kuka took the bees home, where he keeps 40 hives.

Sheila Sabatine said she will keep the chair in the yard, but with new vigilance. “I’m going to check it every time I sit down,” she said.

Information from: The Express-Times, http://www.lehighvalleylive.com

A service of the Associated Press(AP)