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Massive bee invasion causes delay in minor league baseball game in Texas

zach pereles

A massive swarm of bees invaded Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas on Sunday night causing an 85-minute delay between two Double-A teams, the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The interruption, of course, provided plenty of wild visuals.

Hooks outfielder Carmen Benedetti posted this video

Benedetti, a 23-year-old outfielder, captured this moment in his own dugout.

And Naturals play-by-play announcer Benjamin Kelly ventured even closer for this photo:

An exterminator came to the rescue

After a lengthy delay, the Hooks got an exterminator to rid the dugout of the bees.

The game began roughly an hour-and-a-half after it was scheduled to, and the Hooks ended up overcoming the bees and beating the Naturals 9-2.

Speaking to MiLB.com after the game, Benedetti called it “just another day in the life of a Minor Leaguer.

“Heck, it’s not just down here, either. There have been instances with bugs swarming big league ballparks, too. But the bees are something new. We were all so surprised by it. The mosquitoes really started coming out a few days ago, but I don’t think I’ve seen a bee down here all year. They called the exterminator to take care of it.”

Benedetti also told MiLB that the team had to deal with a raccoon earlier in the year, but the animals haven’t affected the team. Corpus Christi is currently leading the Texas League with a record of 13-4.

“We’re all loose about stuff like this, be it weather delays or a swarm of bees,” Benedetti said. “We’re in the clubhouse keeping focus and getting ready for whenever we get the OK to start the game.

It’s not the first time bugs have invaded baseball

The Royals have dealt with bees for the past several seasons, but bees don’t hold a candle to Joba Chamberlain’s spine-shivering 2007 ALDS battle against the midges in Cleveland.

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A nest of bees invaded the Double-A game between Corpus Christi and Northwest Arkansas on Sunday night. (Photo via Benjamin Kelly (@bkellypxp) on Twitter)
A nest of bees invaded the Double-A game between Corpus Christi and Northwest Arkansas on Sunday night. (Photo via Benjamin Kelly (@bkellypxp) on Twitter)